Oregon Father Who Stopped School Shooter Opens Up About Emotional Toll

Kaylub Giamanco, a carpenter and father of two, has shared the profound emotional weight of his actions after he fatally shot a former student who attacked his daughters' school in Oregon. In an interview aired on Friday, the 36 year old man described his grief for the pupils he could not save, acknowledging that the gratitude for the lives he protected is tempered by the pain of those who were lost. He expressed a strong desire to meet the families of the victims, stating he wants to cry with them and hold them in their time of need.

The incident occurred earlier this month at Silver Rail Elementary, where a sixteen year old former pupil, Griffin J John II, opened fire. The attack resulted in the deaths of three male students, aged five, eight, and eleven, as well as a teacher. In total, six people were shot in a classroom. Police identified the teacher who engaged the gunman as having thrown her phone at him and tackled him, actions that Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said almost certainly helped prevent further bloodshed. Giamanco credited this teacher with giving him the opportunity to intervene without losing his own life, calling her a true hero.

On the day of the attack, Giamanco had spent extra time preparing his daughters for school picture day. Although he had taken lunch to work, he decided to return home to eat with his wife, a choice that brought him past the school as the shooting began. Initially suspecting the man with a long gun was playing a prank, Giamanco changed his mind when he saw the attacker fire at a pickup truck and head toward the building. He retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and contacted emergency services, telling the dispatcher he had to go in because people were going to die.

Hearing children plead for their lives and additional gunfire, Giamanco crawled through a shattered window into the classroom. He found a teacher locked in a struggle with the gunman, opened the door, and fired his weapon. He shot the attacker again when the boy reached for his weapon, then placed his own gun on the floor and raised his hands as an officer arrived. Giamanco described feeling like the last line of defense between the children and the threat.

Since the incident, Giamanco has struggled with sleep, lying awake after his family goes to bed to replay the events. He said he relives the moments, seeing faces and hearing voices. His identity became public less than a day after the shooting, prompting his mother, Kenda Freeman, to release a statement asking for privacy. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised his intervention while acknowledging the heavy emotional burden it carries. The motive of the gunman remains under investigation, and the injured teacher, Becky Drury, has stated she was shot while trying to shut her classroom door.

The youngest victim, Rhoam Summer, was five years old. His father described the family as broken and lost. The teacher who died, Megan Lambert, was described by her family as having fought for underdogs and those with special needs. The other two boys were not publicly named at their families' request. Giamanco remains focused on supporting the community and processing the trauma of the event.