Mother of Oregon School Shooter's Hero Recounts Son's 'Heartbreaking' Call
Kaylub Giamanco, who fatally shot the attacker at Silver Rail Elementary School, expressed distress to his mother that he couldn't save everyone.
The mother of the man who intervened in a deadly school shooting in Bend, Oregon, revealed her son’s immediate distress after the event, stating he lamented his inability to save all the victims. Kenda Freeman recounted a phone call from her son, Kaylub Giamanco, 36, shortly after he fatally shot the 16-year-old assailant, Griffin John II, at Silver Rail Elementary School.
"Mom, I just shot and killed somebody," Giamanco told his mother, according to CBS Sacramento. He explained that a gunman had entered his daughters’ school and begun shooting children, prompting him to act. "And I looked at him point-blank, and I shot and killed him, Mom."
Giamanco, a carpenter and father of two young daughters who attend the school, has been hailed as a hero by the Bend community for stopping the gunman and potentially saving many lives. However, his mother shared that the experience has deeply traumatized him, leaving him questioning if he could have acted differently.
"I told him he was a hero, he did what he had to do, and that he did the right thing, and that I was proud of him and that he was a hero and he saved a lot of lives," Freeman told the outlet. Giamanco’s response was, "Mom, I couldn't save them all."
The shooter, Griffin John II, killed three students and a teacher before Giamanco intervened. Among the deceased were five-year-old Rhoam Summer and 25-year-old teacher Meghan Lambert. Seven-year-old Saylor Graham and educational assistant Becky Drury were injured.
Giamanco, who holds a concealed carry license, noticed the shooter while driving home on his lunch break. He entered the school through a window the gunman had shot out to reach the area where his children were.
Police reported that John fired 15 rounds before being killed by Giamanco. The attack appeared to target a special needs classroom, where John himself had once been a student. The firearm used by John was reportedly purchased by his mother around his 16th birthday. Authorities are still investigating how John obtained his ammunition, and his motive remains unknown.
President Donald Trump and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek have both publicly praised Giamanco for his actions. "Thank God we had him. Otherwise, it would have been much worse," Trump stated. Kotek acknowledged the "heavy emotional burden" of his intervention.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to support Giamanco and his family, covering potential therapy, legal expenses, and time off work. By Saturday afternoon, the fundraiser had garnered nearly $280,000.