The armed bystander credited by law enforcement with stopping a deadly mass shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, has been identified as Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old local carpenter and father of two students at the school.
Giamanco’s identity was confirmed Friday by his brother, Kyle Giamanco, shedding light on the critical civilian intervention that halted 16-year-old gunman John J. Griffin II before responding police units breached the school’s doors.
The Thursday afternoon attack claimed the lives of four victims—three children ages 5, 8, and 11, and a teacher—while leaving two others critically injured. According to family members and law enforcement reports, Giamanco’s decision to pursue the shooter inside prevented a catastrophic situation from claiming further lives.
Kaylub Giamanco, 36, works as a carpenter in the Bend community and is the father of two young daughters who attend Silver Rail Elementary.
Contrary to initial rumors circulating online that Giamanco was on campus to pick up his daughters, his brother explained that Giamanco was simply driving home from work for his lunch break just before 1:00 p.m..
As he drove near the school, Giamanco heard gunshots echoing from the street—where Griffin had fired multiple rounds into a passing pickup truck—and saw the armed teenager breaching the perimeter and entering the elementary building.Holding a valid concealed-carry permit, Giamanco armed himself and ran toward the campus without waiting for law enforcement to arrive.
The Classroom Confrontation
According to Kyle Giamanco, his brother tracked the gunman down the hallway into a special education classroom, where Griffin had begun firing:
- Targeting the Room: The fact that the attack unfolded inside a special education setting explains why the victims spanned multiple age groups, as these classrooms often accommodate mixed grade levels.
- Neutralizing the Threat: Giamanco confronted the armed teenager inside the room and fatally shot him, ending the assault within minutes of Griffin forcing entry through locked exterior glass doors.
- Police Arrival: When the first Bend police officers arrived at 1:02 p.m.—three minutes after the initial 911 call from the motorist outside—dispatchers informed responding units that the shooter had already been neutralized by a father inside the facility.
Griffin, who was armed with a pump-action shotgun purchased by his mother around his 16th birthday in August, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Casualties and the Hospitalized
While Giamanco’s actions ended the rampage, the toll on the school community remains devastating:
- Fatalities: Among the deceased children is 5-year-old kindergartener Rhoam Summer, whose family confirmed his passing in a statement on Friday. Two other students, ages 8 and 11, and an adult teacher were also killed.
- Critically Wounded: Two victims remain in critical condition at St. Charles Medical Center: a 54-year-old teacher and a 7-year-old student. Kyle Giamanco noted that his family is close with the family of the injured 7-year-old, a child in a wheelchair who was shot in the face and is currently recovering following emergency surgery.
“He Doesn’t Feel Like a Hero”
Despite praise from state officials, lawmakers, and community members, Giamanco has declined public interviews. His brother told reporters that Kaylub is struggling with the aftermath of what he witnessed.
“He doesn’t feel like a hero,” Kyle Giamanco said of his brother. “He can’t get the children out of his head and feels guilty he didn’t save more people”.
Investigators from the Bend Police Department, Oregon State Police, and the FBI remain on scene at Silver Rail Elementary, conducting ballistics reconstructions and interviewing witnesses to establish the full timeline of the incident. All schools across the Bend-La Pine School District remained closed on Friday as the city held community vigils.