Teacher and Armed Father Stop 16-Year-Old Gunman After Four Die at Bend Elementary School

A 16-year-old former student killed three children and a 25-year-old teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday afternoon before a teacher in the classroom tackled him and an armed father shot him dead. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the combined actions almost certainly prevented additional deaths. The children who died were ages 5, 8 and 11. A 7-year-old girl and a 54-year-old teacher were wounded and taken to hospital in critical condition.

The shooter, identified as Griffin J. John II, approached the school on foot a little before 1 p.m. He threw a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun over a fence, climbed the fence, and shot through glass doors on the playground side of the building. He entered a special-education classroom just inside. The school was holding picture day. John had previously attended Silver Rail as a special-education student and lived roughly half a mile away with his mother.

Inside the classroom he fired about 15 rounds. A teacher who was not injured threw her cellphone at him and then tackled him in an attempt to seize the weapon. At the same time, Kaylub Giamanco, a father of two girls at the school, had seen the disturbance from his vehicle. He retrieved a legally carried .40-caliber pistol, entered the school and shot the gunman multiple times, killing him. Police arrived within three minutes of the first 911 call.

The shotgun was registered to John’s mother, according to law-enforcement officials. He carried roughly 44 additional rounds. Police have not established a motive. Chief Krantz said the classroom targeted was the special-education room and that all the victims were shot there. The 5-year-old killed was identified as Rhoam Summer. The teacher who died was Megan Lambert, 25, described by family as a young educator who had returned to work in her hometown.

Giamanco’s mother, Kenda Freeman, confirmed that her son was the armed bystander. She said he is a lifelong Bend resident. The teacher who tackled the shooter has not been publicly named; police said she was not seriously injured. A driver who saw the gunman jump the fence was the first to call 911 and drew gunfire when he yelled at the teenager.

Schools in the Bend-La Pine district were closed on Friday. Hundreds of people attended a candlelight vigil Thursday evening. The school serves about 450 students and has more than 40 adult staff. It was built roughly eleven years ago and includes modern security features at the main entrance, which the gunman bypassed by entering from the side.

Oregon law allows licensed adults to carry concealed handguns. Giamanco’s actions have been described by police as those of a community member who pursued the gunman into the building. Investigators continue to examine how John obtained the shotgun and what, if any, warning signs existed before the attack. No manifesto or clear statement of intent has been reported.

The wounded 7-year-old was later transferred to Oregon Health & Science University in Portland and was listed in serious but stable condition on Friday. The 54-year-old teacher underwent surgery. Both remain under care. Families of the two unnamed children who died have asked that their names not be released.

The incident is the latest school shooting in the United States in which bystanders intervened before police arrived. In this case the combination of a teacher’s physical struggle and an armed parent’s gunfire ended the attack inside the classroom where it began. Police have said they do not yet know whether John had any specific connection to the children or teachers he shot beyond his earlier attendance at the school.

Bend officials have not announced changes to school security protocols. The district superintendent, Steven Cook, confirmed that the targeted classroom served special-needs students and that the shooter had been one of them. Further details on John’s recent history and any mental-health contacts are expected as the investigation continues.