Father and teacher stopped Oregon school shooter after he killed four

A teacher threw her cellphone at a 16-year-old gunman and then fought him for his shotgun while an armed father entered the classroom and shot the attacker dead at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on 15 October. The gunman, identified as Griffin J. John II, a former special-education student at the school, had already killed three children and one teacher.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the attack lasted roughly three minutes. John approached the school on foot shortly before 1 pm, threw a 12-gauge Maverick 88 pump-action shotgun over a fence, climbed over, and forced entry by shooting at locked doors. A driver in a red pickup saw him and was fired upon; the driver called 911. A second driver, Kaylub Giamanco, the father of two girls at the school, followed the gunman into the building with his legally carried .40-calibre pistol.

Inside a special-needs classroom, a teacher who was not injured threw her phone at John and engaged him physically. Giamanco entered, saw the struggle, and fired multiple shots that killed the gunman. About 44 rounds of ammunition remained in the attacker’s possession. As many as 15 shots had been fired from the shotgun. The classroom held special-needs students; John himself had attended the school in that programme.

The children killed were ages 5, 8 and 11. The five-year-old was identified as Rhoam Summer. The teacher killed was 25-year-old Megan Lambert. A seven-year-old girl and a 54-year-old teacher were critically injured and taken to St. Charles Medical Center. Total deaths at the scene were five, including the shooter. The school has about 400 students from kindergarten through fifth grade.

Krantz called the teacher’s actions heroic. Giamanco’s mother confirmed in a statement that her son had shot the gunman. The district closed schools the following day. A vigil was held in Drake Park. Investigators recovered the shotgun registered to John’s mother and are examining motive; none has been established. Picture day was underway at the school.

The sequence shows two civilians interrupting an active attack before police arrived. The first driver drew fire and alerted authorities. The teacher’s physical intervention and the father’s decision to follow with a firearm ended the shooting. Oregon law allows licensed carry. The special-needs classroom location and the shooter’s prior attendance at the school are under review as part of the ongoing investigation.

Community members placed items at a makeshift memorial outside the school. Officials have not released the names of the two other children killed. The injured remain hospitalised. The case adds to the record of school attacks in which armed bystanders or staff intervened.