BEND, Ore. — The man who intervened in a deadly shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend on Thursday is a parent of two students at the school, his mother confirmed Friday. Kaylub Giamanco shot the teenage gunman inside the building, effectively ending the attack.
The shooting left three students and one teacher dead, while a fourth student and another teacher were critically injured. Authorities have not officially identified the individual who stopped the shooter, but Kenda Freeman, Giamanco’s mother, issued a statement acknowledging her son’s role. Freeman said Giamanco is not seeking recognition but expressed gratitude for the community’s support and the response of first responders and school personnel. She also noted that her son is a lifelong resident of Bend, a city of roughly 100,000 in central Oregon.
Police have not released the identity of the gunman, a 16-year-old resident of Bend, who was found dead inside the school a few minutes after the first calls were received. Police Chief Mike Krantz said the suspect entered the school by shooting through locked doors. The victims included children ages 5, 8, and 11. Authorities provided no further details about the teacher who died. The wounded student, a 7-year-old, and the teacher, 54, were transported to a hospital in critical condition.
Law enforcement officials disclosed that the assailant used a pump-action shotgun, which was reportedly purchased by his mother. Under Oregon law, minors may possess such firearms if supplied by or with the consent of a parent. Officials have not determined whether the suspect attended Silver Rail Elementary or knew anyone at the school.
The first 911 call was made early Thursday afternoon from outside the school by someone reporting being fired upon by an individual with a long gun. Additional calls came from inside the building as police arrived within minutes. A police spokesperson said the shooter was shot and incapacitated shortly after law enforcement entered the school.
Silver Rail Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade, with about 450 students enrolled last year. Following the incident, students were taken to a nearby church acting as a reunification center for families. Many parents arrived to collect their children, some bringing comfort items like stuffed animals amid the heightened emotional atmosphere.
Governor Tina Kotek praised the unnamed community member who intervened, saying the individual’s actions prevented further loss of life as police were arriving on the scene. Local residents held a vigil Thursday evening, with children drawing hearts in chalk and lighting candles alongside adults. All classes and school activities were canceled Friday across the district’s 32 schools.
Bend, located about 125 miles southeast of Portland, has undergone significant population growth in recent decades and is known for outdoor recreation and tourism. The shooting marks the 28th mass killing in the United States this year by one common analysis.
The community’s collective trauma recalls a 2019 incident in Bend, when a grocery store employee, who had served in the U.S. Army, confronted another gunman. Both the employee and a customer were killed, and the attacker died from a self-inflicted wound.