Hero Father Who Shot Oregon School Gunman Reveals Chilling 911 Call and Why He Still Feels He Failed

A father who rushed into his daughters’ elementary school and fatally shot an armed teenager during a deadly attack has revealed the desperate words he told a 911 dispatcher moments before confronting the gunman.

Kaylub Giamanco, 36, became widely praised after intervening in the October 15 shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. His two young daughters were inside the school when the attack began.

Now, a newly released emergency call has offered a frightening glimpse into the seconds before he entered the building.

“Someone’s at the school, at my daughters’ school with a gun. I have a gun, and I will shoot them right now if I have to,” Giamanco told the dispatcher.

The recording captures his panic as he tried to explain what was happening. At one point, he repeatedly shouted the school’s name to make sure authorities understood where the emergency was unfolding.

When the dispatcher asked whether he knew the armed individual, Giamanco replied that he did not. He had simply been driving past the school when he saw the attack begin.

He then told the operator: “I’m about to go kill this kid.”

The dispatcher urged him to wait for police, but Giamanco believed there was no time to lose. He ended the call and rushed toward the school.

According to his earlier interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting, he had seen the teenager firing a weapon before climbing over the school’s fence. Giamanco retrieved his handgun from his truck and followed him inside.

The 16-year-old attacker, Griffin J. John II, had forced his way into the building and opened fire inside a special education classroom.

Three children, aged five, eight and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher, Megan Lambert, were killed. A seven-year-old girl and another teacher were also wounded.

Giamanco eventually reached the classroom, where a teacher was already fighting to stop the gunman. He fired at the teenager, who fell to the floor. When the attacker appeared to reach for his weapon again, Giamanco fired additional shots to prevent him from continuing the assault.

The teenager died at the scene.

Giamanco has repeatedly credited the teacher’s intervention with giving him the opportunity to stop the gunman. He has also said he wishes he could have arrived sooner and saved everyone who was killed.

In the days following the shooting, he described hearing children pleading for their lives as he crawled toward the classroom. He believed he might not survive the confrontation.

Despite being hailed as a hero, the father has struggled with the emotional aftermath. He told OPB that he still thinks about the victims and wishes he could have done more.

His family has also been deeply affected. The couple’s daughters survived, but the family has stayed away from their home because it is close to the school and the memories of that day remain overwhelming.

Giamanco has said his youngest daughter frequently hugs him and tells him she loves him. He responds by holding her tightly and reassuring her that he will always protect her.

The father has also expressed sympathy for the families who lost their children, saying he wishes he could apologize for not saving them.

The newly released 911 recording has renewed attention on the extraordinary decisions he made that afternoon. What began as an ordinary drive past his children’s school became a moment in which he believed he had to act before more lives were lost.

For Giamanco, however, the story is not one of uncomplicated heroism. He is still carrying the memories of the children and teacher who did not make it home.

Source: Dailymail