Bend school parent describes rushing in to stop elementary school shooting

A school parent who helped stop a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, described on October 23, 2026, how he decided to enter the building after hearing gunfire and pleas from children, according to an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting cited by CNN.

How the shooting unfolded

According to police and the CNN report, a 16-year-old former student at the school forced his way inside by firing through the glass panes of an exterior door. The incident happened at Silver Rail Elementary, an elementary school in Bend, in central Oregon.

CNN identified the person who intervened as Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old carpenter, military veteran and parent at the school. He told OPB that when he came by the school around lunchtime, he chose to stop, even though he believed he might not make it home for lunch.

Giamanco said he heard gunfire and children pleading from inside the building. He told a 911 dispatcher, according to the report, that he had to go in because “people are going to die.”

The intervention inside the school

According to the source, Giamanco retrieved a gun from his truck and jumped a fence while the shooter was still firing into the school. He then crawled toward a special education classroom.

Inside, he saw a special education teacher struggling with the shooter. Giamanco fired twice more at the gunman, and both the shooter and the teacher went down, the report said. Police later arrived at the scene.

The shooter was killed. The teacher survived and ran out after the incident, according to the source.

What Giamanco said afterward

In the OPB interview referenced by CNN, Giamanco said he acted because he feared for the children inside the school. He described himself as being in panic as he made the decision to enter.

After the shooting, he contacted his wife and mother. According to the report, his wife told him he was a hero. Giamanco said he did not feel as if he had saved everyone.

The story, published and updated by CNN on October 23, 2026, was based in part on that exclusive interview with OPB. It also cited Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz as saying the shooter had been a former special needs student at the school.

Why the case matters

For ordinary readers, the account shows how quickly a school shooting can unfold and how split-second decisions by bystanders can affect the outcome. The source portrays Giamanco as a civilian who moved toward danger while police were still responding.

• Location: Silver Rail Elementary School, Bend, Oregon
• Victim of the intervention: a 16-year-old former student, according to police
• Rescuer identified in the report: Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old carpenter, veteran and parent
• Source of his account: an exclusive interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting
• Outcome reported: the shooter was killed and the teacher survived

The source does not say what happened in the moments immediately before the police arrived beyond Giamanco’s account and the description of the teacher’s struggle with the shooter. It does make clear that he entered the building believing more lives were in immediate danger.

Source: Ray Sanchez