Kaylub Giamanco: The Carpenter Who Stopped a School Shooter

Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old carpenter from Bend, Oregon, fatally shot a 16-year-old former student at Silver Rail Elementary School earlier this month. In an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting that aired on Friday, Giamanco described the immediate aftermath of the attack and the lingering trauma of the event. He expressed a specific desire to meet the families of the victims to comfort them personally.

The incident occurred on a Friday morning. Giamanco had left his daughters for school picture day and driven home to eat lunch with his wife. As he passed the school, he observed a man with a long gun and assumed it was a prank. When the man fired at a pickup truck and moved toward the building, Giamanco retrieved a handgun from his car and called emergency services. He told the dispatcher that he had to enter the building because people were going to die.

The gunman, identified by police as Griffin J John II, had been a special education pupil at the school. He forced entry through the locked glass doors. Giamanco crawled toward the building on the ground to avoid gunfire. He entered through a shattered window and found a teacher locked in a physical struggle with the shooter. Giamanco opened the door and fired six shots. The teacher had previously thrown her phone at the attacker and tackled him to try to disarm his shotgun.

Three students and one teacher were killed in the attack. The students were boys aged five, eight, and 11. Two others, a teacher and a child, were wounded. The youngest victim was Rhoam Summer, age five. The teacher killed was Megan Lambert, 25. Injured teacher Becky Drury, 54, said in a statement that the gunman shot her as she attempted to close her classroom door.

Giamanco credited the teacher who fought the gunman with saving his own life. He said he wanted to give her a hug, calling her a true hero. After killing the shooter, he placed his gun on the ground and raised his hands when an officer arrived. He later called his wife to tell her to get to the school immediately. He then called his mother to explain what had happened.

Giamanco's name became public less than a day after the shooting. His mother, Kenda Freeman, released a family statement asking for privacy and noting that he was not seeking recognition. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised his actions while acknowledging the emotional burden he carries. She told him her thoughts were with him as he processes the event.

In the interview, Giamanco said he now lies awake after his family goes to bed. He replays the sounds and images of the attack in his mind. He said he hears screams and sees the faces of the children. He stated that he wanted to apologize for not saving all the students, acknowledging that while gratitude exists for those saved, others were lost.