A father who shot the gunman responsible for killing four people at an Oregon elementary school happened to be driving past the building when he heard gunfire.
Kaylub Giamanco, 36, was on his way home for lunch on Thursday when he heard shots coming from his daughters’ school.
Giamanco, a carpenter and father of two girls who attend Silver Rail Elementary, was identified by his brother in an interview with NBC News.
After hearing the gunfire, he followed the 16-year-old shooter, John J. Griffin, into the school, his brother Kyle said.
Kyle said Giamanco, who legally owns a concealed weapon, pursued Griffin into the special education room.
Despite being praised for intervening, Giamanco does not consider himself a hero. His brother said he remains haunted by what he witnessed inside the classroom and feels guilty that he could not save more people.
The Giamanco family also knows the seven-year-old child who was injured in the attack. The child, who uses a wheelchair, was shot in the face.
Kyle said the child is recovering after undergoing surgery.
Kaylub Giamanco, 36, was driving past his daughters’ school on Thursday when he heard gunfire
Giamanco is a carpenter and the father of two girls who attend Silver Rail Elementary
During a news conference Thursday, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek described Giamanco as a hero.
“To the community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life: Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well,” Kotek said.
The first victim publicly identified after the shooting was five-year-old Rhoam Summer.
His father, Kelik Summer, wrote on Facebook: “Today has been the worst day of my life. My son Rhoam was killed in a school shooting.
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“We are broken and lost, but are surrounded by friends and family who are keeping us safe.”
Griffin reportedly used a shotgun that investigators believe was given to him by his mother. He fired at the locks on a “safety vestibule” designed to protect the school before entering Silver Rail Elementary’s special education area and opening fire.
A seven-year-old wheelchair user and a 54-year-old teacher were also wounded. Both survived but remained critically ill in hospital.
The children had been dressed in their best clothes for photo day when the shooting took place. One girl was later forced to hide silently and became so traumatized that she was unable to sleep.
Hannah Ferrie told The New York Times that her daughters, who are five and seven, have been deeply frightened since surviving Thursday’s attack.
Ferrie said her seven-year-old sat silently beside her second-grade teacher after hearing gunshots and breaking glass. Since then, the girl has been unable to leave her mother’s side and is too afraid to sleep alone.
After hearing the gunshots, Giamanco followed 16-year-old shooter John J Griffin into the building
‘It’s such a relief, and also a feeling of profound guilt that other parents didn’t get that,’ Ferrie said.
‘This is a systemic problem that the United States exclusively has. It’s because we value Second Amendment rights over children’s lives, and that has to change. If I hear another thing that says thoughts and prayers, I will be even more disgusted.’
One onlooker was sitting in his red Toyota Tacoma idling outside the school when he spotted the teen approaching the Silver Rail building with his gun.
Concerned by what he saw, the driver confronted the teen, who returned a series of shots at the vehicle.
Photos shared online showed the Toyota with three bullet holes lining the bottom of the passenger-side door and another two near the front of the door. Two more bullet holes chipped off the paint on the base of the truck’s bed.
The rear passenger-side window was also apparently left completely shattered, with no glass visible.
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