Man who stopped the Oregon elementary school shooter has 2 daughters at the school, his mom says

Kaylub Giamanco was a lifelong Bend resident and the father of two girls at Silver Rail Elementary School. During Thursday’s attack, he entered the school after the teenage gunman and shot him. His actions helped end the rampage and may have saved lives.

Giamanco’s mother, Kenda Freeman, announced his role in a statement. She said he was not seeking recognition and instead thanked first responders, school staff and the community. Gov. Tina Kotek also praised the community member who intervened, while not naming him at first.

Police have not publicly identified the shooter or fully described the sequence. They said the suspect was found dead inside the school minutes after the first report. Giamanco’s intervention became a central part of the community’s response as residents mourned four deaths and supported the injured.

The attack killed four people: students aged 5, 8 and 11, plus a teacher whose details were not released. A 7-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher were critically injured and taken to a hospital. The deaths and injuries affected children, school employees, parents and the wider Bend community.

Silver Rail Elementary serves students from kindergarten through fifth grade. About 450 students were enrolled there last year, according to the Oregon Department of Education. Families gathered at a nearby church after students were transported there by bus for reunification.

The school sits in a densely packed neighborhood with many newly built homes. Memorials appeared outside, and residents held a vigil with candles and sidewalk chalk. Classes and other activities were canceled Friday, leaving families and staff to grieve while investigators continued their work.

A pump-action shotgun is a firearm that uses a manually operated sliding mechanism, often called a pump, to cycle shells after each shot. The shooter in this attack used one, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.

The official said the shotgun had been purchased by the suspect’s mother. Police identified the suspect as a 16-year-old Bend resident but did not publicly name him. The article does not say when or where the gun was bought, or whether the mother knew how it would be used.

Oregon law allows a minor to possess a shotgun when a parent provides it or another person provides it with the parent’s consent. That legal provision explains how the teenager could possess the firearm, but it does not establish his motive or whether any separate laws were broken.

The emergency response began early Thursday afternoon when someone outside Silver Rail Elementary called 911. The caller reported being shot at by a person carrying a long gun. That first report alerted authorities to an active danger near the school.

More 911 calls soon came from inside the building. Police spokesperson Sheila Miller said officers arrived within minutes. The attacker was shot and went down inside the school shortly after officers arrived, according to police. Gov. Tina Kotek said a community member had followed the gunman into the school and intervened.

The available account shows overlapping actions by civilians, school personnel, dispatchers and police. Police have not released a complete timeline of the shooting. They also have not publicly identified the gunman or fully explained how the civilian intervention and police arrival unfolded minute by minute.

After the attack, students were taken by bus to a nearby church serving as a family reunification center. Parents arrived there, hugged their children and walked with them to their cars. Some brought stuffed animals or other comfort items from home as families dealt with fear and grief.

The school itself became a site of mourning and investigation. People placed flowers, balloons and stuffed animals near the building. Residents also held a vigil Thursday night, where children drew hearts in chalk and adults held candles. The neighborhood gathered while the injured remained in critical condition.

Classes and all other activities were canceled Friday. The article does not give a reopening date or describe longer-term school plans. It does show that the effects extended beyond the victims to classmates, teachers, parents and a rapidly growing Bend neighborhood.

Oregon law, as described in the article, permits a minor to possess a shotgun when a parent provides the firearm. It also permits possession when someone else provides the shotgun with the parent’s consent. The rule concerns possession, not the later use of the weapon.

In this case, a law enforcement official said the 16-year-old suspect used a pump-action shotgun purchased by his mother. Police identified him only as a Bend resident and did not say whether he had attended Silver Rail or knew anyone there.

The legal provision helps explain the reported access to the shotgun, but it does not answer other investigative questions. The article does not say whether the purchase complied with every applicable requirement, whether the mother knew the intended use, or what charges might follow. Police had not released those details.

A mass killing generally means an incident in which multiple people are killed, but U.S. researchers and agencies do not all use the same threshold or scope. Some counts focus on four or more victims, while others include three or more. Some count only victims killed, while others include people who were injured.

Databases may also differ over whether they include domestic violence, gang-related incidents, robberies, familicides, public attacks or cases involving police. They can define an event by one location, one episode or a short time period. These choices affect whether a particular incident enters a database and how it is classified.

Different totals are therefore not automatically contradictory. They may reflect different questions, data sources and update schedules. The article does not discuss mass-killing definitions or databases; this explanation uses established background knowledge to clarify why reported national totals can vary.