Key takeaways:
- Three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher were killed at Silver Rail Elementary School.
- Police said Kaylub Giamanco pursued and fatally shot the 16-year-old attacker.
- A student and a teacher were hospitalized with critical injuries.
A man with two daughters at Silver Rail Elementary School ran into the building and fatally shot a teenage attacker Thursday, ending a shooting that killed three children and a teacher, police said. A student and another teacher were critically injured.
The bystander, Kaylub Giamanco, identified himself in a statement released by his family Friday, CBS News reported. Police had not publicly named him but said his actions prevented further loss of life.
The children who died were 5, 8 and 11 years old. The names of those killed and injured have not been released. NBC News reported that the critically injured student is 7 years old.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the attacker entered the school by “shooting at locked doors.” Giamanco pursued the gunman and shot him, Krantz said. Police arrived minutes later and found the attacker and four victims dead inside the school, according to CBS News.
Giamanco, a 36-year-old carpenter, was driving home from lunch when he heard gunshots and saw the gunman entering the school, his brother Kyle Giamanco told NBC News. Kyle said his brother has a concealed-weapon permit and “decided to go in after” the shooter. Kyle and several parents told NBC News that the shooting happened in a special education room.
Authorities have not publicly named the attacker. NBC News reported that three senior law enforcement officials identified the 16-year-old suspect as John J. Griffin. CBS News reported that two law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation identified the attacker as John Griffin Jr. III. The reports gave different names, and the sources do not establish whether they refer to the same person.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the attacker used a shotgun purchased by his mother. Two officials told NBC News she bought the gun around the time of the suspect’s birthday in August. CBS News reported that the attacker was from Bend and that police had not said whether he had a connection to the school.
Others also tried to respond as the attack unfolded. Police said the first 911 caller reported that the gunman had shot at his vehicle. That call and dozens of others reporting a gunman inside the school brought officers to the scene three minutes after the first call, according to NBC News.
Parent Justin Penfield told NBC News he saw a man beside a pickup truck with “seven or eight gunshot holes in his truck” after arriving at the school. Penfield said the man told him he had seen someone throw what appeared to be a shotgun over a fence and jump into the playground. When the man called out, the person fired at his truck, Penfield said. The man told Penfield he drove away and called 911.
Families waited for news of their children. Jenn Johnston told NBC News that her fifth-grade son texted after the school announced a lockdown: “Mom there was a school shooting we’re ok tho.” She and her husband were directed to a nearby church, where they waited hours before seeing him. “My son came running to me in tears,” she said.
Giamanco’s family said he would not give interviews. “He 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,” their statement said.
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