A father who rushed to confront an armed teenager after seeing him enter his daughters’ elementary school pleaded desperately for help during a frantic 911 call.
Kaylub Giamanco, 36, later shot and killed 16-year-old Griffin John II after the teenager opened fire at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, on October 15. The attack left three children with special needs and a teacher dead.
Giamanco had previously recalled driving home from lunch when he saw John firing at a red vehicle ahead of him. The teenager then tossed his rifle over a fence and began moving toward the school.
Realizing the danger, Giamanco took his handgun from the center console, loaded it and called 911.
As the dispatcher answered, newly released audio captured the father of two exclaiming: “Oh my God.”
“Someone’s at the school, at my daughters’ school with a gun,” he said. “I have a gun and I will shoot them right now if I have to.”
The dispatcher urged Giamanco not to intervene and instructed him to wait for police to arrive.
But as the call continued, Giamanco spoke over the dispatcher, his frustration and fear mounting.
“This is my daughters’ school,” he shouted, before adding: “I’m about to go kill this kid.”
Kaylub Giamanco, 36, was heard in a frantic 911 call pleading for help after he saw a gunman enter his daughters’ school on October 15
Griffin John II, 16, opened fire at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, before Giamanco shot him dead
The father of two climbed through an open window as he moved to confront the shooter
The dispatcher continued asking questions, including the suspect’s race and whether he had entered the building.
Giamanco confirmed that the gunman was inside the elementary school and said he could hear shots being fired.
“God d*** it, they’re f***ing shooting people,” he said.
The dispatcher attempted to gather more details and assured him that officers were on their way: “We have help en route.”
By then, however, Giamanco had stopped speaking with the sheriff’s office and was running toward the school.
Inside, teacher Cassidy Schutz tried to halt John by throwing her phone at him, tackling him and struggling to take control of his rifle, KATU reports.
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Giamanco then entered through an open window, made his way into the special-needs classroom and fired at John, bringing the shooter down.
During the 911 call, Giamanco told the dispatcher that his daughters were inside the school. Source: Facebook
Giamanco later described Schutz, a certified learning specialist, as a “real hero,” saying her actions created the opportunity for him to shoot the attacker.
In a statement released last week, Schutz said she could not adequately express the depth of her grief.
“This is not a story. This is a horrific and heartbreaking tragedy and it is our real lives,” she said. “My thoughts are with those who were lost, their families, those who were hurt and those who were there that day. My heart is with you.”
Schutz added that her attention remained with the victims’ families, the school community and her own recovery.
Another teacher in the classroom, Becky Drury, previously said she had no opportunity to get the children to safety when John entered.
Drury said she attempted to close the door behind her, but the teenager was already there.
“Before I could do anything more, he shot me at close range, and I fell to the ground,” Drury recalled.
She suffered gunshot wounds to her left hand and right arm. Unable to stand, Drury said she pretended to be dead in the hope that John would not fire at her again.
Certified learning specialist Cassidy Schutz threw her phone at John and tackled him while attempting to wrestle the rifle from his hands
Five-year-old Rhoam Summer and teacher Megan Lambert were killed in the shooting
Seven-year-old Saylor Graham was injured. Five-year-old Rhoam Summer, teacher Megan Lambert and two other students who have not been publicly identified were killed.
Investigators have not established a motive for the attack. John had previously attended the school and had reportedly experienced bullying at times.
He also came from a troubled family background and had been assaulted on at least two occasions.
The teenager used a firearm his mother had purchased around his 16th birthday in August. Investigators have not determined how he obtained the ammunition, describing the case as an “active” investigation.
Giamanco, meanwhile, holds a concealed-carry license, which he said he obtained to protect his family.
