Three children and teacher killed in school shooting at Silver Rail Elementary, Bend
A 16-year-old gunman killed three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon. An armed father of two pupils shot the suspect dead after following him inside.
Armed father stops teenage gunman who killed four at Bend elementary school
Three children aged 5, 8 and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher were shot dead Thursday afternoon at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, NBC News reports. The teenage gunman, identified by police as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, was fatally shot by an armed bystander who followed him into the building.
The attack began at approximately 12:58 p.m. PT when the suspect approached a fenced area of the school, threw his weapon over and climbed onto the property, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said at a Friday news conference. A driver of a red Toyota pickup truck verbally confronted the gunman, who then fired at the vehicle, striking it at least three times. The driver was uninjured and placed the initial 911 call at 12:59 p.m., telling Deschutes County dispatch he was being "shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun."
The shooter forced entry into the school by firing through locked doors at around 1 p.m. and opened fire inside a special education classroom. Dispatch received "dozens" of 911 calls in the minutes that followed. A tone alert went out at 1 p.m. directing all law enforcement to report to a critical incident; the school was ordered into lockdown one minute later.
The first Bend police officers arrived at 1:02 p.m. — within three minutes of the initial call — and quickly learned that a community member had already engaged and shot the suspect.
That man has been identified as Kaylub Giamanco, 36, a carpenter whose two daughters attend Silver Rail Elementary. His brother, Kyle Giamanco, confirmed his identity to NBC News and said Kaylub witnessed the gunman fire at the pickup truck while out on his lunch break. Holding a concealed-weapon permit, he drove into the school parking lot, parked his car, and followed the shooter inside, taking a legally secured 40-calibre pistol from his vehicle, Krantz said.
Inside, Giamanco heard shooting and spotted a teacher physically wrestling with the gunman. He entered the classroom and fired, "striking the suspect multiple times," Krantz said. The suspect was found dead in the special education classroom.
A teacher had sought to stop the attack before Giamanco intervened. She tackled the gunman, threw her mobile phone at him and fought to take his firearm, Krantz said Friday. "She was not injured in that incident, but she almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed," the police chief said. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the school's staff, parents, first responders and the unnamed community member who "heroically intervened to stop further loss of life."
The four victims were named in the days following the attack. The teacher killed was identified as Megan Lambert, 25, of Bend. "She loved Silver Rail. This was her dream job," her family said in a statement read at a Friday news conference. "Megan was compassionate and had a huge heart. She always fought for the underdog and those with special needs." The youngest victim, a 5-year-old boy named Rhoam Summer, was identified by a family spokesperson. His mother, Kelik Summer, wrote in a Facebook post that Thursday was "the worst day of my life. My son Rhoam was killed in a school shooting. We are broken and lost." The identities of the other two children were withheld at their families' request.
Two others were hospitalised with critical injuries: a 7-year-old girl and a 54-year-old educational assistant, Rebecca Drury. Police said Drury sustained serious but non-life-threatening wounds. Her husband issued a statement to NBC News: "Right now, our focus is on my wife, Becky, and her recovery, and on supporting our family through an unimaginably difficult time." The 7-year-old, who uses a wheelchair and was shot in the face, underwent surgery and was in serious but stable condition as of Friday, police said.
Griffin J. John II previously attended Silver Rail Elementary and had been a special needs student there, said Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook. His mother purchased the pump-action shotgun he is believed to have used around the time of his birthday in August, multiple officials told NBC News. Two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter said his mother had been cooperative with investigators.
Silver Rail Elementary serves more than 400 students and employs over 40 staff members.
Source: Google News MT