The father of two Silver Rail students followed the armed teenager into the Bend school after witnessing gunfire outside, authorities said.
BEND, OR — Kaylub Giamanco, a father of two students at Silver Rail Elementary School, has been identified by his family as the armed bystander who followed a teenage gunman into the school and fatally shot him during a deadly attack that killed three children and a teacher.
The identification Friday added new details to the response to Thursday’s shooting in Bend. Police said Giamanco, 36, witnessed the 16-year-old attacker firing at a pickup truck outside the school before heading toward the building. Giamanco pulled into the school parking lot, retrieved a legally owned .40-caliber pistol and followed the teenager inside. His two daughters attend Silver Rail, according to his family.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the teenager forced his way into the locked school by firing a 12-gauge shotgun through glass doors. Inside, the shooter opened fire in a classroom, killing three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and 25-year-old teacher Meghan Lambert. A 7-year-old child and 54-year-old teacher Becky Drury were critically injured and taken to a hospital.
Police identified the attacker as Griffin J. John II, 16, a former Silver Rail student. Investigators said he fired as many as 15 shotgun rounds during the attack and had about 44 rounds remaining when he was killed. Authorities were still investigating his motive and how he obtained the shotgun. A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that the weapon had been purchased by the teenager’s mother.
Before Giamanco fired, another teacher confronted the gunman inside the school, Krantz said. The teacher threw a cellphone at the teenager, tackled him and struggled with him for control of the shotgun. She was not injured. Krantz said her actions almost certainly prevented additional bloodshed. Giamanco entered the building after hearing gunfire and encountered the struggle before shooting the attacker several times, police said.
The violence began shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday. Krantz said a driver in a red pickup truck saw the teenager throw a firearm over a fence surrounding the school and then climb over. When the driver confronted him, the teenager fired at the truck, striking it three times. The driver escaped without injury and called 911. Giamanco, traveling nearby, saw the confrontation and turned into the school parking lot as the armed teenager moved toward the building.
Giamanco’s mother, Kenda Freeman, confirmed her son’s identity Friday in a statement to reporters. The family said Giamanco is a lifelong Bend resident and is not seeking public recognition. Instead, the statement expressed his gratitude to first responders, school employees and the community for their support. His family, including his two daughters, asked for privacy and said they would not participate in interviews.
Krantz praised both Giamanco and the teacher who fought the attacker, saying their willingness to put themselves in danger saved lives. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek also thanked the community member who intervened, saying his actions stopped further loss of life while acknowledging the emotional burden that can follow such an encounter. Officials have emphasized that the investigation remains active as detectives work to establish the attacker’s movements, access to the weapon and possible motive.
The shooting devastated Silver Rail, an elementary school serving students from kindergarten through fifth grade. Families were reunited with children at a nearby location after the attack, while local agencies and health providers organized support services for students, employees and residents. Oregon officials lowered flags at public institutions in remembrance of those killed, and the Bend community began gathering to mourn the victims.
Police said the investigation is continuing and warned that some questions surrounding the attack may take time to answer. Authorities had not established a motive as of Friday, and officials said their immediate work included supporting victims, reviewing evidence and determining the full sequence of events that led to the shooting.
Author note: Last updated October 17, 2026.