Father and Teacher Save Lives in Bend, Oregon Shooting
Some students will return to Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, next week, less than a month after a shooter killed a teacher and three students.
Griffin John II, a former student at Silver Rail, shot fifteen bullets on October 15, killing 25-year-old Megan Lambert, 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, an 8-year-old and an 11-year-old.
Bend police say the shooter, just 16 years old, had 44 bullets left to shoot. The heroic actions of a father and teacher prevented him from attacking the rest of the school.
Kaylub Giamanco, 36, sent his daughters, 5 and 10, to Silver Rail Elementary on the morning of October 15.
That afternoon, he told Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), he made a series of seemingly random choices. He chose to ditch the leftovers he’d packed, drive home and eat lunch with his wife. He considered running errands on the way home but decided against it.
Crucially, he’d never removed the legal, .40 caliber handgun from in his truck console.
These choices, which Christian believers might call divine timing, meant Giamanco drove past Silver Rail elementary just as a man with a gun shot at a passing pickup truck, threw the gun over the school’s fence and started climbing after it.
“That’s when panic fled into my brain, and that’s when I opened my center console,” Giamanco told OPB.
The frightened father pulled into Silver Rail’s parking lot and trailed the gunman across a field, through the playground and to the side of the building.
He had called 911 from the truck, but quickly hung up.
“I said, ‘I’m sorry, I have to go in. People are going to die,’” OPB reported.
Too soon, Giamanco heard the shooter shatter the glass doors to one of Silver Rail’s side entrances. The 16-year-old targeted the closest classroom, where several teachers were working with four special needs students.
The rapid gunfire left three students and one of the teachers dead. Another teacher and student were injured.
Giamanco heard the horrifying commotion from outside. He told OPB:
While Giamanco approached from outside, Cassidy Schutz, a certified learning specialist inside the classroom, sprung into action. Police say Schutz threw her cellphone at the shooter before tackling him, attempting to gain control of the gun.
Giamanco saw Schutz struggling with the assailant when he entered the building. It was exactly the opening he needed. With the gunman distracted and turned to the side, Giamanco took aim and fired.
Schutz and the shooter fell to the ground. When the shooter began scrambling for his weapon, Giamanco shot him twice more, ending his life.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz lauded Giamanco and Schutz’s actions as lifesaving.
“When someone is willing to risk their own life for others, we recognize that,” Krantz said, continuing:
“I don’t think we can underestimate or underappreciate that courage,” Krantz concluded.
No, indeed.
The Daily Citizen frequently calls on parents to fulfill their God-given responsibilities to protect and love their children.
No one could ask for more than what Giamanco did on October 15. He put his own life on the line to protect not only his children, but those without the means to protect themselves.
Not all fathers may have the opportunity or knowledge to stop an active shooter. But the Bible calls husbands and fathers to demonstrate courage and selflessness in service of others.
At its core, the Bible tells the story of ultimate, fatherly sacrifice. God the Father surrendered the Life of His Son, in the person of Jesus Christ, so those who believe in Him can be reconciled to Him (Romans 8:32).
Though the Bible calls fathers and husbands to demonstrate these characteristics in all relationships, courage and selfless service are human traits which can be demonstrated by anyone.
Cassie Schutz put her life on the line to save the children entrusted to her care. Her actions equally demonstrate courage and care for others.
Both cases bring John 15:13 to mind:
Please join the Daily Citizen praying for continued healing and protection over Silver Rail families ahead of their return to school.
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