A teacher reportedly threw her cellphone at the gunman and fought to take his shotgun before an armed parent intervened at Silver Rail Elementary School.
BEND, OREGON, UNITED STATES — WEB DESK: A teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, tackled a gunman and fought to take his shotgun during a deadly shooting that killed three children and another teacher, police said.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the teacher threw her cellphone at the attacker before tackling him and struggling to disarm him inside a special-needs classroom. Her actions likely helped prevent further bloodshed, he said.
The shooting took place on October 15, 2026, at the elementary school in Bend, a city in the northwestern US state of Oregon. Authorities identified the suspect as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II, a former student at the school.
Teacher confronted gunman inside classroom
According to police, the teacher directly confronted the attacker as he opened fire inside the classroom. She was not injured during the struggle, Chief Krantz said.
The police chief praised the teacher’s actions, describing her willingness to put herself at risk to protect children as an extraordinary act of courage.
Authorities have not publicly identified the teacher who fought the gunman.
Armed parent also intervened
Police said a parent who witnessed the suspect firing a shotgun outside the school followed him into the building and opened fire on him during the incident.
The parent, identified in media reports as Kaylub Giamanco, fatally shot the suspect before police arrived at the scene, according to authorities and news reports.
Police said officers reached the school within minutes of receiving the first emergency call. The investigation is continuing into the sequence of events and the circumstances that led to the attack.
Four people killed in shooting
The attack killed three children aged five, eight and 11, along with a teacher, according to police reporting cited by Reuters.
Another child and another teacher were wounded. Authorities have not established a confirmed motive for the attack in the reports reviewed for this article.
The shooting has shaken the local community and renewed concerns about school safety in the United States, where attacks at educational institutions remain a major public issue.
Investigation continues
Investigators are working to establish the suspect’s actions before the shooting and why he targeted the school. Police have identified him as a former student, but the motive remains under investigation.
The actions of the teacher and the parent have drawn attention because both intervened during an unfolding attack. Police said the teacher’s confrontation likely prevented further bloodshed, while the parent’s intervention ended the threat before officers arrived.
Authorities are expected to provide further information as the investigation develops.
