In brief
Kaylub Giamanco, 36, is grieving after firing on the 16‑year‑old gunman who killed three students and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon. He describes hearing children pleading for their lives and feels he failed to save more. The teacher who fought the attacker was also killed, and her bravery has been widely praised. Giamanco now relives the attack nightly, awaiting the emotional weight of his actions. The incident highlights issues of gun violence and civilian intervention in U.S. schools.
Kaylub Giamanco, the 36‑year‑old father who shot the gunman at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, says he mourns failing to save more children.
The 16‑year‑old former student fired into a classroom on October 16, killing three pupils and a teacher. Giamanco, who happened to be at the school that morning, retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and confronted the attacker.
“I heard children pleading for their lives and I couldn’t do more,“ he told Oregon Public Broadcasting in a tearful interview. “I want to apologise for not saving their babies.”
The teacher who fought the shooter, reportedly a former pupil herself, helped stop the gunman from firing on more children and was later killed in the struggle. Her actions were lauded as heroism by local officials and the governor.
Giamanco now lies awake at night, reliving the attack and the screams he heard. “I relive, I see faces, I hear voices, I hear screams,” he added.
Police confirmed the shooter’s name as Griffin J. John II and are investigating his motive. The community has created a makeshift memorial outside the school.
The incident underscores the ongoing debate over gun safety in U.S. schools. Giamanco’s actions have sparked discussion about heroic civilian intervention and the emotional toll it carries.
