Oregon hero recalls crawling toward gunman as kids begged for lives: 'I still hear them scream'

BEND, OREGON: Kaylub Giamanco, the Oregon father who shot and killed a teenage gunman during the October 15 attack at Silver Rail Elementary School, has spoken publicly about the terrifying moments that led him to confront the shooter and the memories that continue to haunt him.

In an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) published on Friday, October 23, the Bend carpenter recalled telling a 911 dispatcher, “I’m sorry, I have to go in. People are going to die,” before rushing onto the school grounds. 

As he crawled toward the building, he said he heard children pleading for their lives and gunfire coming from inside.

The shooting claimed the lives of three children and a 25-year-old teacher. Two other people were also seriously injured.

Giamanco said he still struggles to sleep as he replays the incident and thinks about those he could not save.

How hero dad crawled into the school to stop the gunman

The sight of the armed teenager initially left Giamanco unsure what he was witnessing.

Driving by the school, he questioned whether the long gun was real until he saw the teenager shoot at a pickup truck and a woman working on the school grounds.

Once the teenager climbed the perimeter fence, Giamanco grabbed his own handgun from his truck and dialed 911.

As he watched events unfold, he decided he could not wait for emergency responders to reach the scene.

“I’m sorry, I have to go in. People are going to die,” he remembers telling the dispatcher before moving toward the school.

He slipped over the fence and made his way toward the building, using the wallball court for cover.

According to his account to OPB, he heard two gunshots aimed at the glass doors at the entrance.

He then crawled beside the school’s windows, trying to move closer without exposing himself.

From there, he heard children begging the attacker to spare them, followed by the sound of further shots.

“I started hearing children pleading for their lives and then I started hearing gunfire,” he said.

With a window already broken by gunfire, Giamanco rushed toward the opening and climbed inside.

He made his way to a special education classroom, where he found a teacher physically confronting the teenager.

Giamanco opened fire. When the teenager reached for his gun, he shot again, later explaining that he believed the attacker could still pose a threat to others.

Kaylub Giamanco claims gunman lacked love

Giamanco said the shooting has left him wrestling with questions about whether he could have done more.

Although police have credited his actions with helping stop the attack, he remains focused on the people who did not survive.

“I relive, I see faces, I hear voices, I hear screams,” he told OPB, describing the memories that return when he tries to sleep.

He has not contacted the victims’ families but hopes to speak with them, saying he wishes he could have saved their children.

Giamanco also wants to find the teacher who grappled with the gunman before he intervened, so he can thank her in person.

He has also considered what might have led the teenager to carry out the attack.

“I do want to believe that if he had more love in his life and better parenting, that this could have been prevented,” Giamanco said.