KAYLUB GIAMANCO DESCRIBES OREGON SCHOOL SHOOTING

Kaylub Giamanco shot and killed a teenage gunman at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, after the attacker opened fire earlier this month. Police said the 16-year-old former pupil killed three students and a teacher in a classroom. The attacker also wounded a child and another teacher, according to police. Giamanco, whose daughters attend the school, arrived during the attack. Police said his actions prevented further deaths at the school, which has about 400 pupils.

Giamanco, a carpenter, was driving home for lunch when he saw the teenager fire at a passing pickup truck and head towards the school. He took a handgun from his vehicle and called emergency services before following the attacker onto the grounds. The gunman shot through the school’s locked glass doors, and Giamanco crawled through a shattered window as he heard gunfire and children pleading for their lives. He reached a classroom where a teacher was struggling with the attacker and fired after opening the door. Giamanco said he fired again when the attacker reached for his weapon.

In an interview broadcast on Friday, Giamanco said he wanted to meet the victims’ families and the teacher who confronted the gunman. “I want to apologise for not saving their babies,” he said of the parents whose children died. He credited the teacher’s struggle with giving him the chance to intervene without losing his life. President Donald Trump praised Giamanco as “a great hero that went in and did the business”.