Oregon parent who shot school attacker had prior experience in military-style drills

A 36-year-old carpenter identified as Kaylub Giamanco entered an elementary school campus in Bend, Oregon, and shot dead the 16-year-old gunman who had killed three children and a teacher earlier that day. Police said Giamanco was returning from his lunch break when he heard gunfire, parked his car, retrieved a legally registered .40-caliber pistol and ran into the building. A teacher had earlier thrown a cellphone at the shooter and attempted to wrestle the weapon before Giamanco arrived and fired several close-range shots.

The incident left a seven-year-old student hospitalized and a 54-year-old teacher with serious injuries, while three other victims died at the scene. Giamanco, whose two daughters attend the school, later told his mother, Kenda Freeman, that he had shot the assailant at point-blank range.

In a 2018 Facebook post, Giamanco said he had taken part in “military shooting drills” with veterans who served in Iraq, though police and his family have not linked that experience to the Bend shooting. His brother, Kyle Giamanco, said he does not feel comfortable being described as a hero.

"He said, ‘Mom, I just shot and killed somebody.’ And I said, ‘Kaylub, tell me about it,’" Freeman told KOVR.

"It’s hard to swallow because my heart goes out to those families. They didn’t get to bring their babies home," Freeman added.

Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting.