A father whose two daughters attended Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, confronted a 16-year-old school shooter after hearing gunfire and seeing the teenager enter the building, according to accounts provided by the father’s family. Kaylub Giamaco reportedly followed the gunman into the school, crawling through a shattered window before shooting and killing the teen, identified as Griffin John. The Oct. 15, 2026, attack killed four people, including three children and a teacher, and left others critically injured.

Giamaco’s actions brought an end to the shooting, according to the account shared by his mother, Kenda Freeman, with CBS News. The father’s intervention has drawn attention to the split-second decisions made by people who encounter active-shooter emergencies, as the community mourns the victims and investigators work to establish what led to the violence.

Father Acts After Hearing Gunshots

Giamaco was reportedly returning home from his lunch break at about 1 p.m. Thursday when he heard gunfire and saw the teenager entering the elementary school. With his two daughters among the school’s students, he moved toward the building rather than continuing home.

Freeman told CBS News that her son sensed something was wrong, pulled onto the grass, retrieved his legally owned firearm and followed the shooter toward the school.

According to her account, Giamaco entered through a window the gunman had already shattered. He used an army crawl, moving forward with his body close to the ground, as he made his way through the opening.

The account portrays a father driven by concern for his children and the other students inside the building. His decision to intervene came amid an unfolding emergency in which children and school staff faced gunfire.

A Distressed Call to His Mother

In a phone call to Freeman shortly after the confrontation, Giamaco described what had happened. He reportedly told her he had shot and killed someone who had entered his daughters’ school and opened fire on children.

Freeman said she reassured her son that he had acted to protect others and that she was proud of him. However, she also described the emotional toll the incident had taken on him.

Her son reportedly struggled with the fact that he could not save everyone who was caught in the attack.

“I couldn’t save them all,” he told his mother, according to her account.

Freeman said she was grateful her grandchildren were safe but felt deep sorrow for the families whose children did not come home. Her comments reflected the conflicting emotions facing families after a school shooting: relief for those who survived and grief for those who were killed.

Giamaco has reportedly declined to discuss the shooting publicly because of his distress over the lives he could not save, his brother, Kyle Giamanco, said.

Four Victims Killed in the Attack

Authorities identified the victims as three students and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert. The children included 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, an 8-year-old student and an 11-year-old student.

Two other people were reported critically injured: 7-year-old Saylor Graham and 54-year-old teacher Becky Drury. The injuries and deaths left families, educators and members of the Bend community facing the aftermath of the violence.

Lambert, who was also identified as a volleyball coach, was remembered in reports as a teacher whose presence made a positive impression on those around her. Her death added to the loss felt by students and colleagues.

The shooting also prompted concern for the youngest survivors, including a girl reported to have suffered a gunshot wound to the face.

Investigators Continue to Examine the Shooting

Investigators are still working to determine the shooter’s motive and reconstruct the events leading up to the attack. Reports have indicated that the teenager was armed with a shotgun and used multiple types of ammunition. The precise sequence of the gunfire, the circumstances surrounding his entry and the reasons he targeted the school remain important questions for investigators.

Authorities’ findings will be essential to establishing a complete account of the attack, including the actions of school personnel and others who responded.

A Grieving Community 

For Giamaco’s family, the incident has brought both relief and profound emotional strain. His daughters survived, but his mother’s account makes clear that the loss of other children and a teacher continues to weigh heavily on him.

Freeman has described her son as a hero for intervening, while acknowledging his anguish over the victims he could not reach. As the investigation continues, the Bend community faces the difficult task of mourning those killed, supporting the injured and helping surviving students and families cope with the trauma.

The shooting underscores the devastating reach of school violence: beyond the immediate victims, it affects families, teachers, first responders and an entire community long after the gunfire stops.