Three People Confronted a Teen Gunman at an Oregon Elementary School, Police Say

At least three people put themselves in danger to try to stop a 16-year-old gunman who attacked Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, this week, according to accounts from police and school officials relayed by ABC News. A teacher and three children were killed, and the entire attack lasted only a few minutes.

The gunman, identified as Griffin John II, was killed by a father who followed him into the building with a legally stored pistol. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said at a Friday news conference that the actions of those who intervened undoubtedly saved lives.

How the attack unfolded

ABC News reported that the boy threw a shotgun over a low chain-link fence in the middle of an October day and then climbed over it himself. Beyond the fence were a playground and a grass field leading to the school, which he had once attended. Hundreds of children were inside, including a few in a special needs class, as he had once been.

A man in a red truck was the first to act. He yelled at the boy, who began shooting and hit the truck at least three times. The driver was not hurt. He drove down the road and called 911.

Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old carpenter whose children attend the school, was nearby. He saw the boy firing at the truck and heading for the building. The boy walked along the school to a locked door and shot out its glass panes with the shotgun.

Giamanco drove into the parking lot. He had a .40-caliber pistol legally stored in his vehicle.

Inside the classroom

Teachers and four children were in the classroom beside the broken door. Another teacher had taken a first-grader to the bathroom. The boy entered the classroom, pumped the shotgun and fired repeatedly.

The teacher and first-grader who were away from the room heard the gunfire and hid under a table in a nearby office. Giamanco also heard the shots and moved toward them.

One teacher in the classroom threw a phone at the gunman, and police say she then tackled him. Giamanco saw a woman wrestling with the boy for control of the shotgun and shot him several times, killing him. Police arrived quickly, just before Giamanco fired, according to the report.

The teacher who fought the boy was not hurt. Three children in the classroom, ages 5, 8 and 11, were killed, and a fourth child was critically wounded. Megan Lambert, a 25-year-old teacher, was also killed. Her family said teaching was her dream job. Another teacher was shot in the arm and hand.

Investigators found as many as 15 spent shell casings. The boy had about 44 more unused rounds.

What officials said about those who intervened

Krantz and other officials thanked the people who did not stand by. “I don’t think we can underestimate or underappreciate that courage,” the chief said. He praised the quick thinking of someone who noticed what was happening, parked and followed the gunman into the school. He also credited the teacher who stood and fought for her students, calling it true heroism.

What this means for families and the community

For parents, the account shows how little time passed between the first shots and the end of the attack, and how much of it happened before many families knew anything was wrong. Linda Sanchez, whose first-grade son hid under the table with his teacher, said she got an automated call about a lockdown and then heard ambulances and police cars heading toward the school. “My heart was just like pounding because he was in there,” she said.

For the school community, the details also show the toll: a young teacher and three children killed, another child critically wounded and a second teacher injured. Officials credited the actions of a driver, a parent and a teacher, who each acted in the first minutes, with preventing further harm. Police have not described how many more people might have been hurt without them.

Source: ABC News