Kaylub Giamanco Reflects on the Pain of Saving Some But Not All

Three students and a teacher lost their lives in a classroom at Silver Rail Elementary School earlier this month, a tragedy that has left a community in Oregon grappling with profound loss. Kaylub Giamanco, the 36-year-old father who fatally shot the 16-year-old gunman, has spoken publicly about the emotional weight of that day. While he is being celebrated for his quick thinking, he says the memory of children pleading for their lives has left him with a deep sense of anguish.

In an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting that aired on Friday, Giamanco expressed his desire to connect with the families of the victims. He stated that he wanted to meet them to cry with them and hold them, acknowledging that while saving some children was a blessing, the ones he could not save weigh heavily on his heart. He specifically credited a teacher who engaged the attacker in a physical struggle for giving him the opening he needed to intervene without losing his own life. Giamanco called her a true hero and said he would love to give her a hug.

The attack began on a day that had started with routine school activities, including breakfast and making packed lunches for Giamanco's daughters, who were having their school pictures taken. The carpenter had planned to take lunch to work but decided to return home to eat with his wife instead. This change in plans placed him near the school when the shooting started. He initially thought the sound of gunfire might be a prank until he saw the attacker fire at a vehicle and run toward the building.

Giamanco retrieved a handgun from his car and called emergency services, telling the dispatcher that he was going in because people were going to die. He followed the shooter, who had fired through the school's locked glass doors. Hearing the screams of the children, Giamanco crawled toward the building, telling himself it might be the last thing he ever did. He entered through a shattered window to find a teacher locked in a struggle with the gunman. He opened the door and fired, shooting again when the attacker reached for his weapon. He then placed his gun on the ground and raised his hands as an officer arrived.

Police identified the gunman as Griffin J John II, a former pupil who had attended special education classes at the school. His motive is still under investigation. The teacher who fought the attacker, whose name was not specified in the initial report but who is credited with preventing more deaths, threw her phone at him and tackled him. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz noted that she almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed. The youngest victim, Rhoam Summer, was five years old, and his father said the family is broken and lost.

The other two boys killed were eight and 11 years old, and they have not been publicly named at their families' request. Megan Lambert, 25, was the teacher who was killed, and her family described her as someone who always fought for the underdog. Another teacher, Becky Drury, 54, was shot while trying to shut her classroom door. Giamanco's name became public less than a day after the event, and his mother, Kenda Freeman, read a statement asking for privacy as he is not seeking recognition.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised Giamanco's intervention while acknowledging the heavy emotional burden it carries. Giamanco now lies awake after his family goes to bed, replaying the events in his mind. He describes seeing faces and hearing voices and screams, illustrating the ongoing psychological impact of the day he became the last line of defense for his daughters' classmates.