BEND, Ore. — Authorities in central Oregon are praising the rapid actions of a classroom teacher and an armed parent who confronted a teenage gunman during a deadly shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School on Thursday afternoon.
The attack left four victims dead inside a special education classroom before the shooter was killed, according to the Bend Police Department. Three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, along with 25-year-old teacher Meghan Lambert, lost their lives. Two others sustained critical injuries: a 54-year-old teacher and a 7-year-old student, both of whom were transported to a local hospital.
Confrontations Outside and Inside the Building
Police reported that the incident began around 12:58 p.m. when a 16-year-old former student tossed a shotgun over a chain-link fence and climbed onto the school grounds. A passing motorist in a red pickup truck shouted at the teen, who responded by firing three shots into the vehicle. The motorist was uninjured, drove down the street, and dialed 911 at 12:59 p.m., police officials said.
The suspect, identified by authorities as Griffin John II, then breached a locked exterior door by shattering its glass panels with gunfire. He entered an adjacent classroom and discharged up to 15 rounds from a 12-gauge shotgun, according to investigators.
As gunfire echoed through the hallway, an unnamed teacher inside the classroom hurled her mobile phone at the shooter and tackled him to the floor, wrestling for control of his weapon. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz told reporters that her swift intervention prevented further violence, confirming she escaped without physical injury.
Armed Parent Halts the Attack
Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old carpenter and father of two girls enrolled at the school, was driving past when he noticed the teen firing at the pickup truck. Giamanco retrieved a legally stored .40-caliber pistol from his vehicle and pursued the armed teenager inside.
Upon reaching the classroom, Giamanco saw the teacher wrestling with the shooter on the floor. Giamanco fired several rounds, fatally striking the 16-year-old, police said. Officers arrived on the scene at 1:02 p.m., just minutes after the initial emergency call, finding the suspect neutralized.
Investigators discovered that the shooter had approximately 44 unfired rounds remaining when he was stopped. Krantz praised both the educator and Giamanco for their bravery, noting that intervening in such conditions undoubtedly saved lives.
Community Mourns the Victims
Officials publicly identified two of the deceased victims on Friday: kindergarten student Rhoam Summer, 5, and Lambert, 25. The families of the 8-year-old and 11-year-old students requested that their names remain private for now, police said.
Lambert’s family remembered her as an educator dedicated to supporting children with special needs. In a statement released through police, her family said she possessed a huge heart and always advocated for those who needed help most. Summer’s grandfather, Bryan Jolly, told The New York Times that his grandson was bright, fun-loving, and full of joy, describing the loss as devastating and senseless.
The injured 7-year-old student remained in serious but stable condition, while the wounded 54-year-old teacher was being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, authorities confirmed.
Investigators have not disclosed a motive for the shooting, and law enforcement agencies continue to examine how the teenager acquired the weapon and ammunition used in the assault.
