Oregon father recounts school shooting

Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old carpenter who fatally shot the attacker at his daughters' school, expressed deep grief over the students he could not save. In an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting aired on Friday, Giamanco addressed the parents of the victims. 'I want to apologise for not saving their babies,' he said. 'The gratitude for saving people's children is awesome, but there were ones that I didn't save.'

The shooting occurred earlier this month at Silver Rail Elementary School. A 16-year-old former student, identified as Griffin J John II, killed three male students aged five, eight, and 11. Teacher Megan Lambert, 25, was also killed. Six people were shot in total within the classroom, with one other child and a teacher sustaining injuries. Police stated that Lambert's motive remains under investigation.

Giamanco described the sequence of events on the day of the attack. He had spent extra time preparing his daughters for school picture day before deciding to return home for lunch. This route took him past the school as the shooting began. After observing the gunman fire at a pickup truck and move toward the building, Giamanco retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and contacted emergency services. 'I said, 'I'm sorry, I have to go in. People are going to die,'' he recalled.

He approached the school after hearing children plead for their lives. Giamanco crawled through a shattered window into a classroom where Lambert was engaged in a physical struggle with the gunman. Police reported that Lambert threw her phone at the attacker and tackled him to gain control of his shotgun. Giamanco entered the room and fired. He shot the attacker again when the boy reached for his weapon. Giamanco then surrendered his gun to an arriving officer.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz stated that Lambert 'almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed' by confronting the shooter. Giamanco credited Lambert with giving him the opportunity to intervene safely. 'I would love to give her a hug because that's a real true hero,' he said. The youngest victim, Rhoam Summer, aged five, left his family describing them as 'broken and lost.' Lambert's family noted that she worked in her 'dream job' and consistently advocated for students with special needs.

Giamanco's identity was made public less than a day after the incident. His mother, Kenda Freeman, read a statement on his behalf asking for privacy. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek acknowledged the emotional weight of the event. 'Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well,' Kotek said. Giamanco told OPB that he now stays awake at night replaying the events. 'I relive, I see faces, I hear voices, I hear screams,' he said.