Bystander who killed Oregon school shooter is father of two students

The man who cut short a deadly rampage at an Oregon elementary school by fatally shooting the 16-year-old attacker was the father of two students at the school, the man’s mother told reporters. Officials had not yet identified the man Friday, but neighbors pointed out his house near the school, and family members confirmed his identity and asked for privacy.

The man, Kaylub Giamanco, intervened Thursday as the teenage assailant attacked Silver Rail Elementary School with a shotgun, blasting through locked doors and killing a teacher and three children, ages 5, 8 and 11. A 7-year-old and another teacher were critically injured.

Investigators have searched the home of the 16-year-old suspect, John J. Griffin II, according to a law enforcement official granted anonymity to discuss details of the case. His mother was cooperative, the official said, and investigators took the boy’s electronic devices under a search warrant. They believe the shooter used a weapon that belonged to his mother.

Authorities have not publicly named the shooter, the victims or the bystander, but were expected to share more information at a news conference later Friday. The 5-year-old victim was identified as Rhoam Summer by Bryan Jolly of Bend, who said he is the boy’s grandfather. “He was very bright and very mischievous and very fun-loving,” Jolly said.

It was not clear if the attacker knew anyone at the school, which remained cordoned off by yellow crime scene tape Friday. Children’s bicycles crowded a rack near the front entrance, near where mourners had set up makeshift memorials.

The fatal attack was part of a long pattern of deadly shootings at American schools over the past three decades, leaving deep and lasting scars on communities. Oregon has more restrictions on gun ownership than most states, though many are held up in court.

Here’s what we’re covering:

— <strong>The response:</strong> Hundreds of officers responded to emergency calls Thursday afternoon, entering the locked-down school within minutes of the first call, officials said. They quickly confirmed that the shooter was dead and began evacuating students and teachers.

— <strong>The bystander:</strong> Gov. Tina Kotek of Oregon called the armed bystander a hero in a news conference Thursday night. “Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden,” she said, addressing him directly. “I just want you to know my thoughts are with you as well.”

— <strong>Shaken families:</strong> Parents of children who survived the attack said they were struggling to help their children manage feelings of trauma, fear and guilt after the shooting.

— <strong>Years of violence:</strong> Since the massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, in 1999 left more than a dozen people dead, school shootings have terrorized America.

This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/10/16/us/bend-oregon-shooting-school/heres-the-latest">The New York Times</a>.