Meet the hero ‘girl dad’ who stopped Oregon school shooter during his lunch break

THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?

SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do).

Kaylub Giamanco, a father of two girls attending Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, confronted and fatally shot the teenage gunman during Thursday’s school attack.
Three children and 25-year-old teacher Meghan Lambert were killed; another teacher fought the gunman, while a student and teacher were seriously wounded.
Lambert’s family thanked Giamanco for risking his life. His own family says he wants privacy, not public recognition.

LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time).

Folks, we spend far too much time learning everything about the monsters.

Let’s spend some time talking about the father who stopped one.

His name is Kaylub Giamanco.

He’s 36 years old, a carpenter from Bend, Oregon, and the father of two daughters who attend Silver Rail Elementary School.

On Thursday, he found himself facing every parent’s nightmare.

A gunman was attacking an elementary school.

By the time the violence ended, three children and a young teacher were dead. Another student and teacher had been seriously injured.

And Giamanco had intervened with his legally carried handgun, confronting and fatally shooting the attacker inside the building.

Police say his actions helped prevent additional deaths.

Friday brought the public identification of the man who intervened, along with heartbreaking details about the people the community lost.

The teacher was 25-year-old Meghan Lambert, a young woman whose family described her as compassionate, funny and devoted to children who needed extra help.

“Meghan was compassionate and had a huge heart,” her family said.

She loved sports, especially volleyball, and had pursued teaching as her dream career.

Her family said she fought for children with special needs and people who were too often overlooked.

She was doing work she believed mattered.

One of the children killed was 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, remembered by relatives as a playful little boy who loved books, stuffed animals and spending time with his family.

The other two children who died were 8 and 11 years old.

Those are the ages that ought to stop every parent in America.

Five. Eight. Eleven.

Not statistics. Not arguments for television panels. Children whose families expected them to come home from school.

The attack unfolded Thursday afternoon when a 16-year-old gunman entered Silver Rail Elementary with a shotgun.

Police say he fired through locked doors and attacked a classroom used by students with special needs.

Another teacher responded with extraordinary courage, throwing her cellphone at the attacker and physically fighting him.

She helped interrupt the attack as Giamanco entered the building.

According to Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz, Giamanco had heard gunfire, retrieved his .40-caliber pistol and followed the attacker inside.

He encountered the gunman struggling with the teacher and fired, bringing the rampage to an end.

Police have credited both the teacher and Giamanco with courageous actions that likely saved lives.

Giamanco’s mother, Kenda Freeman, confirmed his role Friday. She told reporters her son was not looking for publicity or praise. “He is not seeking recognition,” she said.

Instead, the family expressed gratitude to first responders, school personnel and the Bend community for their support.

His family has requested privacy as he processes what happened.

And then came words from Meghan Lambert’s grieving family that deserve to be heard.

They thanked the man who stepped into danger while others were trying to escape it. “We think he is a hero,” they said.

They also offered a message to families who had lost children. “Meg loved those children,” the family said.

Those few words tell you far more about the people at Silver Rail than the attacker’s name ever could.

President Donald Trump praised the armed father’s intervention Friday. “It’s a terrible thing,” Trump told reporters, while expressing gratitude that someone with a firearm had been able to stop the attacker.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek also commended the courage of the person who intervened.

There will be serious questions about how the attacker obtained his weapon, how he entered the school, and whether warning signs were missed.

Police are continuing that investigation. Those questions matter enormously.

So does another fact that cannot be erased from the discussion about protecting children. On Thursday, a legally armed parent was present when a school was under attack. He acted, and authorities credit his intervention with helping stop the killing.

That doesn’t establish that every school shooting could be prevented by an armed civilian. Circumstances differ, and school security requires far more than a single policy. But it does establish that responsible armed citizens can sometimes make a life-saving difference.

That reality belongs in any serious conversation about school safety. And so does the courage of the teacher who fought the gunman without a firearm.

Both acted when children were in danger. Nothing can undo the loss suffered by the families of Meghan Lambert and the three children. There are no words that can make those parents whole again. But there are people whose actions deserve to be remembered alongside the victims.

Kaylub Giamanco is one of them. He didn’t go looking for attention. He went toward a school where his daughters were students and where children were being attacked.

And he helped stop the killer.

Remember his name.

Remember the teacher who fought back.

Most of all, remember the four innocent people who should still be here.