A teacher threw her phone at the teenage gunman who killed four people at an Oregon elementary school Thursday, then tackled and fought with him — likely saving lives before he was shot by a man who followed him into the building, police said Friday. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz called her actions "heroic" during a news conference and said she was not injured.
In a statement read to reporters on Friday, Kenda Freeman said her son, Kaylub Giamanco, shot the gunman in Thursday's attack at Silver Rail Elementary School. She said he is the father of two girls at the school.
The three children killed were aged 5, 8 and 11. Another child, 7, and a teacher, 54, were injured and taken to the hospital in critical condition, authorities say.
Krantz identified the attacker as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, a former student at the school.
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The news conference has ended
During the news conference, the police chief named the suspect and said he would only utter his name that one time.
The news conference lasted a little over 30 minutes.
School resource officer was at another school during shooting
The school resource officer was not at the school at the time of the shooting, authorities said.
They said the officer oversees around six other buildings and was at a nearby school.
Chief says man who killed gunman had .40-caliber pistol
Armed with a .40-caliber pistol, Giamanco entered the school, heard shots and fired his gun after seeing a teacher fighting with the shooter, Krantz said.
Just moments earlier, he had seen the gunman shooting at a truck and heading toward the school.
Krantz said the teacher “threw her cellphone at the suspect and then tackled him and fought to take the firearm from him. She was not injured in that incident, but she almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed,” the chief said.
Chief lauds heroes
“I don’t think we can underestimate or underappreciate that courage,” Krantz said.
“When someone is willing to risk their own life for others, we recognize that. The quick thinking to observe, to then park and follow someone into the school is incredible and undoubtedly saved people.
“If it came natural as a protective father, that’s terrific,” he said.
“The teacher who’s willing to stand and fight for her children — incredible,” the chief added. “We all recognize that is true heroism. We don’t see that a lot in society.”
Chief details encounters leading up to shooting
The first 911 call came from the driver of a red pickup truck who saw the boy throw his gun over a fence outside the school and then climb over it, Krantz said.
The driver yelled at the boy, who fired at him, striking the truck three times. The driver was not injured, but drove off and called for help.
A second driver, a 36-year-old man whose children attend Silver Rail, saw the gunman shooting at the truck and heading toward the school. He pulled into the parking lot, grabbed his .40-caliber pistol and followed the attacker inside.
He saw the teen wrestling with the teacher and shot him several times, Krantz said.
Mother of suspect: ‘I’m so sorry, I wish I could have done something
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The mother of the teen identified by authorities as the Oregon school shooter says her son was a ‘good boy’ as she tearfully apologized to victims and their families.
Shauntai Nickerson, the mother of Griffin John II, told reporters outside her apartment near the school that if she could have done something to prevent the shooting, she would have.
“I miss my boy,” Nickerson said, sobbing and crying, according to The New York Times and CNN. “I’m so sorry, I wish I could have done something. I’m sorry for their loss.”
She declined to say how the 16-year-old obtained the pump-action shotgun, and didn’t comment further when The Associated Press and other outlets knocked on her apartment door later.
Police say motive still unclear
“Everyone wants to know why, including us,” Krantz said. “We may never get that full answer, but we want it.”
The police chief added that police are also still trying to determine how the shooter obtained the gun.
Teacher’s family says working at school was her ‘dream job’
The family of Meghan Lambert, in a statement read by officials, said she grew up in Bend, graduated from Boise State University and had a passion for sports, especially volleyball, and was a local coach.
They said she was funny, opinionated, “fought for the underdog” and “those with special needs”
“Meg loved those children,” the family said.
As many as 15 shots were fired from 12-gauge shotgun
The gunman fired as many as 15 shots from a 12-gauge shotgun and had about 44 rounds remaining when he was killed, the police chief said.
Authorities said he was a former student.
Superintendent says staff in ‘so much pain’
“This has been a terrifying and traumatic experience that will affect us profoundly for years to come,” said Bend-La Pine School Superintendent Steven Cook.
Teacher threw cellphone at suspect try to stop him
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz says a teacher threw a cellphone and tackled and fought with the teenage gunman to try to stop him.
The teacher’s actions likely helped save lives, the chief said, calling her actions “heroic.”
JUST IN: The 16-year-old shooter who killed 4 at an Oregon elementary school is Griffin John II, a former student, police say
JUST IN: A teacher threw a cell phone and tackled the teenage gunman who killed 4 people inside a school Thursday, police say
Mom of 6-year-old says son hid under table until gunfire stopped
Linda Sanchez’s 6-year-old son was getting escorted to the bathroom by a teacher when the two heard gunfire. They hid under a table in a nearby office until the gunfire stopped.
Soon after, Sanchez got a robocall notifying her about the lockdown at her son’s school, and then heard ambulances and police cars heading to the school where her son attends the first grade.
“My heart was just like pounding because he was in there,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez’s son was in a special education class at the time where some students went for individualized attention. Sanchez was told by school staff that the classroom was closest to the door where the gunman entered the school.
Youngest child killed in the shooting loved ‘misunderstood’ creatures, aunt says
Five-year-old Rhoam Summer liked for all of his sea creature stuffed animals to be in his favorite color: rainbow, his aunt said.
“He never met a stuffie that he didn’t think needed to be rescued and cared for,” said Swan Sheridan, whose sister is Rhoam’s mother.
“He had a great fondness for sharks and dinosaurs and creatures that were in his words, ‘misunderstood,’” she said.
He was also a fast runner and a fearless climber, his aunt said.
Sheridan said her nephew would climb and jump off anything and was an “incredibly fast” runner, even from a young age. “He was a little ball of energy from the moment he was born,” she said.
“He was a very, very happy child,” she said.
A wounded teacher is recovering from surgery
A wounded teacher was identified by family as Becky Drury. Her mother-in-law, Yvonne Drury, said on Facebook that she underwent surgery and had injuries to her left arm and right hand.
Police responded within minutes
Some 911 calls came from inside the school, and officers arrived within minutes, police spokesperson Sheila Miller said.
The attacker was shot and went down inside the school shortly after officers arrived, she said.
The school has students in kindergarten through fifth grade, with about 450 enrolled last year, according to the Oregon Department of Education.
Children were taken by bus to a nearby church serving as a reunification center for families. Parents hugged, kissed and held their childrens’ hands as they walked to their cars, with some bringing along favorite stuffed animals or other comfort items from home.
Man who stopped the shooter has 2 daughters at the school
The man who shot the school shooter in Bend, Oregon has been identified by his mother.
Kenda Freeman said Kaylub Giamanco is a lifelong Bend resident and a father with two young daughters at Silver Rail Elementary School.
“He is not seeking recognition, but instead wishes to express his gratitude to the first responders, school personnel and community for the outpouring of love and support,” she said, reading from a prepared statement to reporters outside her son’s residence near the school.
Freeman said the family is asking for privacy “during this difficult time” and is not giving interviews.
Trump praises ‘great hero’ who helped after Oregon school shooting
President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House he had been briefed on the shooting and praised the actions of a “great hero” who he said “took care of business.”
“It’s a terrible thing, but thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it,” Trump said, saying the tragedy otherwise likely would have been much worse.
The shooter used a gun bought by his mom
The 16-year-old suspect, identified only as a Bend resident, was found dead inside the school minutes after the first calls for help, Police Chief Mike Krantz said. Police said he got into the school by shooting through locked doors.
The attacker used a pump-action shotgun that was purchased by his mother, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.
Under Oregon law, a minor may possess a shotgun if provided by a parent or by someone else with the parent’s consent.
Police said they didn’t know if the shooter knew anyone at the school or if he had attended it.
—- By Haven Daley, Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker
A parent says she was amazed a member of the public pursued the shooter
Brooke Olsen’s daughter is a kindergartener at Silver Rail.
“I think it’s miraculous that someone was there before law enforcement even arrived to stop further tragedy from happening,” Olsen said Friday, weeping at times. “I’m feeling very grateful.”
Officials will provide an update on the shooting
Officials plan to hold a news conference at 2 p.m. PDT Friday at the Bend Municipal Court about the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary. They say they will provide the latest information and share resources that are available for community members.
The shooting was the 28th mass killing in the US this year
That's according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. See the database.
The attacker used a pump-action shotgun that was purchased by his mother, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.
Teen shooter kills 4 at Oregon elementary school before being shot by a witness
A 16-year-old opened fire at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, killing three children and a teacher. He was then shot by a person at the scene who followed him inside, authorities said.
The suspect was found dead inside the school minutes after the shooting was first reported, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said.
The three children killed were aged 5, 8 and 11. Another child, 7, and a teacher, 54, were injured and taken to the hospital in critical condition, he said.
The first 911 call came just before 1 p.m. from a person in a vehicle outside Silver Rail Elementary who reported being shot at by someone with a long gun, Krantz told reporters. Further 911 calls came from inside the school, and officers arrived on scene within minutes, police spokesperson Sheila Miller said.
The attacker, who police identified as a Bend resident, was shot and went down inside the school shortly after officers arrived, she said.