Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old carpenter from Bend, Oregon, has broken his silence following the October 15 shooting at Silver Rail elementary school. Giamanco, whose own children attend the school, gained national recognition for his actions that day, which he described in an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) as a split-second decision to protect lives.
The incident began when Giamanco noticed a man dressed in black, armed with a gun, heading toward the school. Initially questioning if he was witnessing a prank, his perspective shifted immediately upon seeing the individual fire his weapon and climb over the school fence. Giamanco, who had returned home to eat lunch with his wife rather than eating at his workplace, retrieved a .40 caliber handgun from his vehicle’s center console. As he headed toward the parking lot, he contacted 911, telling the operator: “I have to go in. People are going to die.”
Giamanco pursued the shooter, Griffin J John II, a 16-year-old former student, by climbing over the fence. He moved quietly, at one point crawling on his hands and knees as he heard the sounds of “children pleading for their lives.” Recalling the harrowing experience, he told OPB, “I just started army crawling faster and faster and I told myself this is probably the last thing that I’m ever going to do.”
Upon reaching a classroom where the shooter had entered, Giamanco witnessed a teacher struggling with the gunman. He entered the room and fired his weapon, striking Griffin. When the teenager fell but appeared to reach for his own firearm again, Giamanco fired two additional times, noting his fear that the shooter might still harm others. The shooting resulted in the deaths of four people: teacher Megan Lambert, 25, and three children, including five-year-old Rhoam Summer. Six people in total were shot by the perpetrator.
Reflecting on the tragedy, Giamanco expressed deep remorse for those he could not save, stating, “I want to apologize for not saving their babies. The gratitude for saving people’s children is awesome, but there were ones that I didn’t save.” He now advocates for increased security measures, including the presence of school resource officers at all campuses, and intends to raise funds to support school safety initiatives.
