Daijiworld Media Network - Oregon

Oregon, Oct 17: A 16-year-old former student who shot dead a teacher and three children in a special-needs classroom at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, was stopped by a teacher who tackled him and an armed father who fatally shot him, police said on Friday.

The actions of the teacher and the father helped prevent further loss of life, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said at a press conference, a day after the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School.

The victims were identified as three children aged five, eight and 11, and 25-year-old teacher Meghan Lambert. A seven-year-old child was wounded and remained in serious but stable condition, while another teacher sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

According to investigators, the unidentified teacher threw her phone at the gunman before tackling and fighting him. A 36-year-old father of two students then entered the scene with a legally owned .40-calibre pistol and fired multiple shots at the suspect, killing him shortly before police arrived.

The teacher was not injured. Krantz praised her courage, saying she had almost certainly helped prevent further bloodshed.

"The teacher who was willing to stand and fight for her children, that's true heroism," he said, visibly emotional at times.

Kenda Freeman told The New York Times that her son, Kaylub Giamanco, whose two daughters attend the school, was the father who killed the shooter. In a video statement released by the newspaper, Freeman said her son was grateful for the support shown by first responders, school staff and the community.

She added that Giamanco was not seeking recognition and had requested privacy rather than speaking to the media.

Police identified the shooter as Griffin J. John II, a 16-year-old former special-needs student at the school. He was armed with a shotgun and fired approximately 15 rounds inside the classroom, with another 44 rounds found in his possession, authorities said.

Investigators are working to establish the motive behind the attack and determine how the teenager obtained a Maverick 88 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun, Krantz said.

"Everyone wants to know why, including us," the police chief said. "We may never get that full answer, but we want it."

Shortly before the shooting, the teenager was seen throwing his weapon over the school fence and climbing onto the premises to retrieve it. A driver of a passing truck verbally confronted him, prompting the teenager to open fire on the vehicle.

The gunman then shot through locked glass doors and entered a classroom occupied by special-needs students from different grade levels. Police reached the school within three minutes of receiving the first emergency call, but the shooter was already dead, Krantz said.

The attack sent shockwaves through Bend, a city of around 100,000 people located approximately 175 miles (280 km) southeast of Portland.

Students in nearby classrooms were left terrified by the gunfire. Nine-year-old fourth-grader Kalani Journeigh told Reuters that she and her classmates screamed in fear after hearing the shots.

"All of us were screaming and we were all, like, really scared," she said, adding that she feared they might die.

Kalani said her heart had been beating rapidly before the gunshots suddenly stopped. She added that one of her friends was planning to seek therapy after the traumatic experience.

Residents gathered near the school on Friday morning to mourn the victims, placing flowers and candles outside the area cordoned off by police.

"Thank God for that father," said Michael Zappa, 71, who lives a few blocks from the school. Fighting back tears, he said the father had saved many lives and added that people should keep him in their prayers as he dealt with the aftermath.

Lambert's family described her work at Silver Rail as her "dream job" and said she had always stood up for disadvantaged people and those with special needs. In a statement read at Friday's press conference, the family also expressed gratitude to Giamanco, calling him a hero.

The shooting comes amid continued concerns over gun violence in American schools. According to the nonprofit K-12 School Shooting Database, 118 people had been wounded or killed in 149 incidents involving guns being fired or brandished at schools, or gunfire striking school property, since the beginning of 2026.

Separately, the Gun Violence Archive had recorded 371 mass shootings since January 2026. The organisation defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are struck by gunfire, excluding the shooter. Three of those incidents, including the shooting in Bend, occurred at public schools, according to the archive.