A teacher tackled the teenager who opened fire at an Oregon elementary school Thursday, allowing an armed parent to fatally shoot the gunman, authorities said Friday, revealing new details of the attack that killed three children and one adult.
Speaking at a news conference, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the teenager — a former student at the school — entered the school campus by climbing over a fence, throwing his gun over first. The driver of a red truck on a street near the school saw the teenager and confronted him from his vehicle. The teen fired on the truck, striking it at least three times.
A 36-year-old parent of children at the school saw the gunman fire at the truck while driving nearby. In response, the parent drove into the campus parking lot and followed the teenager into the building.
According to Krantz, the assailant forced entry into the school through external double doors, firing multiple rounds into the glass panes, then went into a special education classroom, where he fired as many as 15 rounds.
A teacher confronted the gunman, threw her cellphone at him and wrestled him for his firearm. The teacher was not injured in the confrontation, Krantz said. “She almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed.”
The parent had a legally secured .40-caliber pistol in his vehicle, which he brought with him as he followed the gunman into the school and saw the teacher confronting him.
Krantz said the teacher’s intervention allowed the parent to kill the gunman.
Officers who arrived at the scene found a Maverick 88 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun and a backpack near the shooter. Investigators found about 44 remaining rounds of 12-gauge ammunition on the shooter or in his backpack.
Authorities on Friday identified two people killed in the shooting as Rhoam Summer, a 5-year-old student, and Meghan Lambert, a 25-year-old teacher in her first year at Silver Rail Elementary School.
The families of the other two victims, who were ages 8 and 11, declined to share their names and asked for privacy.
Krantz said a 7-year-old girl injured in the shooting who received lifesaving care in the classroom is in serious but stable condition. A 54-year-old female teacher also suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries and is receiving treatment at St. Charles Bend hospital.
The parent who killed the shooter has been identified as Kaylub Giamanco, NBC News and The New York Times reported Friday.
Giamanco, 36, is the father of two girls who attend the school.
Giamanco’s mother, Kenda Freeman, said in a statement Friday that her son 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.”
Police have identified the the gunman as Griffin J. John II, 16, who previously attended Silver Rail Elementary School and was a special education student. He was no longer enrolled in the Bend-La Pine school district at the time of the shooting, Krantz said.
“I don’t think we can underestimate or underappreciate that courage,” Krantz said of the teacher’s and the bystander’s actions.
“When someone is willing to risk their own life for others, we recognize that. The quick thinking to observe, to then park and follow someone into the school is incredible and undoubtedly saved people,” Krantz said. “If it came natural as a protective father, that’s terrific.”
“The teacher who’s willing to stand and fight for her children — incredible,” the chief added. “We all recognize that is true heroism. We don’t see that a lot in society.”
President Donald Trump on Friday praised Giamanco for confronting the attacker, calling him a “great hero.”
“There was a great hero,” Trump told reporters. “He took care of business, and thank God we had him,” Trump said. “Otherwise, it would have been much worse. It’s a terrible thing, but thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it.”
The family of the teacher killed in the shooting said Lambert had a goal to be an “educator and teach in the school district she loved growing up in.”
“She always fought for the underdog and those with special needs,” the family statement read. “She was an incredible sister, daughter, niece, and granddaughter. Her friends became her family. She was funny and opinionated, and she lit up the room.”
“Meghan loved those children and so we will show you love for her.”
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