Hero bystander, teacher praised for saving lives in school shooting

The bystander who stepped in to stop a gunman at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, has come forward and identified himself as Kaylub Giamanco, a lifelong Bend resident who has two daughters at the school. At a news conference Friday, police also praised a teacher who threw a cellphone at the gunman, tackled him and fought to take his weapon.

Police said Giamanco pursued and fatally shot the 16-year-old attacker, ending a rampage that took the lives of three children and a teacher and wounded two others. 

A statement released by Giamanco’s family on Friday said, “He is not seeking recognition, but instead wishes to express his gratitude to the first responders, school personnel, and community for the outpouring of love and support.” 

“The tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary has devastated the Bend community,” they wrote.

Giamanco and his family asked for privacy and said they will not be giving interviews. 

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz credited him and a teacher at the school for actions that saved other lives.

“In addition to the 36-year-old man who bravely stepped in to stop the suspect, I want to highlight another person whose heroic action we need to recognize: a teacher in the classroom threw her cellphone at the suspect and then tackled him and fought to take the firearm from him. She was not injured in that incident, but she almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed,” he said.

President Trump on Friday called the Giamanco a “great hero” who “took care of business.”

“Thank God we had him; otherwise, it would have been much worse,” Mr. Trump said, adding: “It’s a terrible thing, but thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it.”

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek also praised the bystander who “heroically intervened to stop further loss of life,” saying the person’s actions carry “a heavy emotional burden.”

Krantz said the shooter entered the school by shooting out the glass on locked doors. He was then pursued by the bystander, who shot and killed him, Krantz said. 

When police arrived minutes later, Krantz says they found the deceased shooter and four victims — three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher — inside the school. Two other victims, a student and a teacher, were hospitalized with critical injuries. 

At Friday’s briefing, Krantz said the gunman has been identified as Griffin J. John II. He used a shotgun purchased by his mother, law enforcement sources told CBS News. The suspect was from Bend and had previously attended the school, police said.