Dad crawled through broken window to stop gunman at daughters' school, family says

cbsnews.com

The bystander who stepped in to stop a  gunman at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, has come forward and identified himself as Kaylub Giamanco, a lifelong Bend resident who has two daughters at the school . At a news conference Friday, police also praised a teacher who threw a cellphone at the gunman, tackled him and fought to take his weapon. Police said Giamanco pursued and fatally shot the 16-year-old attacker, ending a rampage that took the lives of three children and a teacher and wounded two others.  A statement released by Giamanco's family on Friday said, "He is not seeking recognition, but instead wishes to express his gratitude to the first responders, school personnel, and community for the outpouring of love and support."  "The tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary has devastated the Bend community," they wrote. Giamanco and his family asked for privacy and said they will not be giving interviews.  Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz credited him and a teacher at the school for actions that saved other lives. "In addition to the 36-year-old man who bravely stepped in to stop the suspect, I want to highlight another person whose heroic action we need to recognize: a teacher in the classroom threw her cellphone at the suspect and then tackled him and fought to take the firearm from him. She was not injured in that incident, but she almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed," he said. President Trump on Friday called the Giamanco a "great hero" who "took care of business." "Thank God we had him; otherwise, it would have been much worse," Mr. Trump said, adding: "It's a terrible thing, but thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it." Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek also praised the bystander who "heroically intervened to stop further loss of life," saying the person's actions carry "a heavy emotional burden." Giamanco's mother, Kenda Freeman, who lives in Sacramento, says he called her shortly after it happened. "Kaylub knew something was not right, so he pulled up onto the grass, grabbed his gun and basically stalked the gunman back into the school," she said in an  exclusive interview with CBS News Sacramento . "He crawled through a window that the gunman had shot out. He army-crawled through the window." She says he told her: "'A man went into my daughter's school and shot kids,' and he said, 'and I looked at him point-blank, and I shot and killed him, Mom.'" "I told him he was a hero, he did what he had to do, and that he did the right thing, and that I was proud of him and that he was a hero and he saved a lot of lives," she said. "And he said, 'Mom, I couldn't save them all.' " Freeman said, "Kaylub has a genuine heart and he loves his community and his family and his children," adding, "He's just a good person, in general." When police arrived minutes later, Krantz says they found the deceased shooter and four victims — three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher — inside the school. Two other victims, a student and a teacher, were hospitalized with critical injuries.  At Friday's briefing, Krantz said the gunman has been  identified as Griffin J. John II. He used a shotgun purchased by his mother, law enforcement sources told CBS News. The suspect was from Bend and had previously attended the school, police said. This article originally appeared on CBS News at https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oregon-school-shooter-bystander-identified-silver-rail-elementary/