A Carpenter on His Lunch Break Followed the Gunman Into a Bend School

A 36-year-old carpenter driving home for his lunch break heard gunshots near Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, followed a teenage gunman inside and fatally shot him, according to police accounts relayed by several outlets. Police arrived at 1:02 p.m. and learned the suspect had already been shot.

The attack still took a heavy toll. Three students, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher were killed, all in a single special education classroom, CNN reported. A 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were hospitalized.

His family has identified the man who stopped the gunman as Kaylub Giamanco, a lifelong Bend resident and the father of two girls at the school. They say he wants no credit for it.

What Happened Thursday Afternoon

According to the timeline relayed by NBC News, two vehicles were near the school at 12:58 p.m. Pacific time, when the suspect approached. He crossed the street, tossed his weapon over the school fence and climbed it. A senior law enforcement official told CNN the weapon was a shotgun.

ABC News and NBC reported that Giamanco saw the teen fire at a truck outside, then went in after him. Inside, a teacher had already thrown her phone at the gunman, tackled him and tried to pull the gun away, CNN reported. Giamanco followed the shooter into the special education room.

At a Friday news conference, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said Giamanco used a legally owned .40-caliber pistol and struck the gunman "multiple times," according to CNN. The CNN article could not be reviewed directly for this story, so that account comes from search excerpts. His family told ABC that he holds a concealed carry permit.

NBC and ABC, citing police, reported that the shooter was a 16-year-old who formerly attended Silver Rail as a special needs student and was not currently enrolled in the district. Outlets have rendered his name inconsistently, and this account does not repeat it. Krantz said large questions remain, and no motive has been made public.

A Hero Who Does Not Want the Word

The first reports were cautious. Newsmax, in a story published Friday, said dispatch audio suggested the armed bystander was a student's father, while noting authorities had not confirmed that, the weapon or any permit. Later reports from the family and from Krantz, as relayed by outlets, have largely confirmed the parent link and supplied the weapon and permit details.

Just the News reported that the family issued a statement through CBS saying Giamanco "is not seeking recognition, but instead wishes to express his gratitude to the first responders." His brother Kyle told NBC that Giamanco avoids publicity because he does not feel like a hero and feels guilty he could not save more people. Kyle also told NBC that rumors Giamanco was at the school to pick up his children were wrong.

His mother, Kenda Freeman, was less reserved, telling the New York Post, "He is absolutely a hero."

Gov. Tina Kotek addressed him directly. "To the community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life: Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden," she said, as quoted by Just the News.

What the Record Shows So Far

The casualty count needs care. Just the News, citing the Post, reported that the gunman killed four people and injured two. Elsewhere in its text, and in other outlets, the dead are described as three children and one teacher. The Just the News lede appears to have counted the shooter, but that is not confirmed. Two people were hospitalized: NBC reported the wounded 7-year-old, who uses a wheelchair, was shot in the face and is recovering from surgery, and police said Friday the child is in serious but stable condition. Just the News reported the wounded teacher is in critical condition.

Much of the reporting so far is secondhand, passed among outlets from the police briefing and family interviews. No official written statement from Bend police has been reviewed for this story.

What Comes Next

Police are still investigating the motive and how the gunman reached the school. More victims are expected to be formally identified, and the condition of the hospitalized child and teacher remains a open question. No charges against anyone have been mentioned, and the notes available do not say whether Giamanco's use of force will undergo a formal review. For now, by his family's account, he would prefer the attention go to the first responders.