Oregon father who killed school shooter describes sleepless nights

Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old carpenter, fired six shots to kill the gunman responsible for the Silver Rail Elementary School attack in Oregon. He spoke about the physical and mental toll of the event in an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting that aired on Friday. Giamanco said he is now unable to sleep, lying awake after his family goes to bed to replay the events of the day.

The attack earlier this month resulted in the deaths of three students and one teacher. A 16-year-old former student, identified as Griffin J John II, opened fire in a classroom. Police reported that six people were shot in total. Three boys, aged five, eight, and 11, died. Teacher Megan Lambert, 25, was also killed. Another child and a teacher, Becky Drury, 54, were wounded.

Giamanco explained that he was returning to his car to eat lunch when he noticed the attacker. He had initially thought the person with the long gun was playing a prank until he saw the shooter fire at a pickup truck. Giamanco retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and called emergency services. He told the dispatcher he was going into the building because people were going to die.

As he approached the school, Giamanco heard children pleading for their lives. He crawled toward the building through a shattered window. Inside the classroom, he found a teacher locked in a struggle with the gunman. Giamanco credited that teacher with giving him the opportunity to intervene without losing his own life. He said he wanted to meet the victims' families to comfort them. He expressed a specific desire to apologize to the parents of the children he did not save.

The shooter had attended special education classes at the school. Police are still investigating his motive. The teacher who confronted the attacker threw her phone at him and tackled him to try and take his shotgun. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz stated that she almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed.

Giamanco’s name became public less than a day after the shooting. His mother, Kenda Freeman, released a statement asking for privacy and noting that her son was not seeking recognition. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised his intervention. She acknowledged the heavy emotional burden his actions carried.

The youngest victim was Rhoam Summer, aged five. His father said the family is broken and lost. Lambert’s family described her as working in her dream job and someone who always fought for the underdog. The other two boys killed have not been publicly named at their families' request.

Giamanco described feeling like the last line of defense between the children and the gunman. He said he believed he was supposed to be there that day. After the incident, he called his wife to tell her he would not be home for lunch and that she needed to come to the school immediately. He then called his mother to tell her what had happened.

In the interview, Giamanco detailed the sensory details of the trauma. He said he relives the moment, sees faces, and hears voices and screams. He noted that while he feels gratitude for saving some lives, the weight of those he could not save is present in his mind. He said he told himself during the crawl to the school that it was probably the last thing he would ever do.