Kaylub Giamanco Recalls Intervening in Silver Rail Elementary School Shooting
Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old carpenter and father from Bend, Oregon, was driving home for lunch on October 15, 2026, when he stopped a mass shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School, nypost.com reported. Giamanco intervened after seeing 16-year-old Griffin John open fire outside the building with a shotgun before breaching the facility, where the gunman ultimately killed four people.
The attack at the elementary school, which serves more than 400 students, left the community shaken as first responders rushed to the scene. Giamanco, whose two daughters attend the school, described hearing children pleading for their lives inside the building as he armed himself and made his way inside to confront the shooter.
How the Lunchtime Interruption Unfolded at Silver Rail Elementary
Giamanco was heading home to eat leftovers with his wife during his lunch break when he witnessed John fire twice at a red pickup truck and shoot at a woman mowing the school’s lawn. The gunman then scaled a fence to begin his rampage, prompting Giamanco to reach into his center console for his .40-caliber handgun, as nypost.com reported.
“That’s when panic fled into my brain, and that’s when I opened my center console,” Giamanco told Oregon Public Broadcasting in a sit-down interview. “I just was in full panic, like, ‘No, there’s children, there’s babies in there.’ I told my Siri to call 911.”
Before answering the dispatcher’s questions, Giamanco said, “I’m sorry, I have to go in. People are going to die.” He walked toward the shooter, who was firing two shots at a door, and then hurried on his hands and knees from a wallball court toward the building.
Crawling through a bottom window that had been shot out, Giamanco reloaded his weapon. Upon peeking into a classroom, he saw a teacher struggling with the shooter, swung the door open, and fired at John.
“He was scrambling for his weapon,” Giamanco said. “I looked at him and I shot him two more times to make sure that he couldn’t move because I was afraid of him shooting anybody else.”
JUST IN: The heroic bystander who took down a 16-year-old gunman during a deadly Oregon elementary school shooting has been identified as 36-year-old Kaylub Giamanco.Giamanco, whose two daughters attend Silver Rail Elementary School, saw the suspect shoot at a truck before… pic.twitter.com/9LVuWooFWK
Aftermath and Recovery for the Bend Community
By the time Giamanco stopped the gunman, police and first responders had begun arriving at the school. Giamanco returned to his truck, unloaded his firearm, and called his wife to tell her not to expect him for tacos and to urge her to get to the school immediately.
He also phoned his mother, who told him he had saved lives. “I didn’t save everybody. I didn’t get them all,” Giamanco told the outlet.
The shooting claimed the lives of 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert, 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, and two other students aged 8 and 11. John also critically injured a 7-year-old girl in a wheelchair and another teacher.
Giamanco has not yet spoken to the families of those killed. “I want to apologize for not saving their babies,” he said. “The gratitude for saving people’s children is awesome, but there were ones that I didn’t save.”
Questions About the Bend School Shooting Response
What are the names of the victims killed at Silver Rail Elementary School?
The victims who lost their lives in the October 15, 2026, attack include 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert, 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, and two other students aged 8 and 11, according to nypost.com.
How many people were injured during the incident?
In addition to the four fatalities, the 16-year-old shooter critically injured a 7-year-old girl in a wheelchair and a teacher.
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.Police say he pursued and fatally shot the 16-year-old… pic.twitter.com/4fAocYr3ku
Where are Giamanco and his family staying following the shooting?
Giamanco’s wife and children have been staying at a hotel and a vacation rental as the lifelong Bend resident attempts to process the trauma and cope with recurring memories of the event.
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