Oregon father who killed school gunman gives first interview
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Carpenter Kaylub Giamanco, 36, told OPB he killed the Bend school gunman but regrets not saving everyone.
His account puts a parent's split-second choice at the center of the aftermath.
Background
Kaylub Giamanco is a 36-year-old carpenter and military veteran in Bend, Oregon, whose two daughters attend Silver Rail Elementary School. On Oct. 15, a 16-year-old former student, Griffin J. John II, forced his way into the school and attacked a special needs classroom, killing three children and a teacher. Giamanco, passing the school on his way home for lunch, followed the gunman inside and shot and killed him. He avoided the spotlight at first, issuing a brief statement thanking first responders, then chose to tell his story to OPB.
How it unfolded
- Oct 15, 2026Griffin J. John II, 16, forced his way into Silver Rail Elementary and attacked a special needs classroom, killing three children and a teacher and injuring others. Giamanco followed him in and shot and killed him; police say a teacher also threw her phone at the attacker and wrestled with him.
- Oct 23, 2026OPB published its exclusive interview with Giamanco, his first, conducted by Emily Cureton Cook and Jen Baires.
- Oct 23, 2026Giamanco told OPB he regrets not arriving sooner and apologized to the families of those who died.
Who’s saying what
- Public
- Giamanco's mother, Kenda Freeman, told him he did the right thing and called him a hero who saved lives.
- Giamanco
- Giamanco said he feels gratitude for the children he saved but is haunted by those he did not, saying he relives faces, voices and screams.