Sacramento mom says "hero" son shot, killed Oregon school shooter
A Sacramento mother says her son acted on instinct when he confronted and fatally shot a gunman during a deadly school shooting in Oregon, an attack that killed three children and a teacher.
Key points
- A Sacramento mother says her son fatally shot a 16-year-old gunman at an Oregon elementary school.
- Three children and a teacher were killed before the bystander confronted the shooter.
- The shooter was identified as Griffin J. John II, who police say used a shotgun bought by his mother.
A Sacramento mother says her son acted on instinct when he confronted and fatally shot a gunman during a deadly school shooting in Oregon on Thursday. The attack at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend killed three children and a teacher, and wounded another child and a teacher who remained hospitalized Friday.
Police identified the shooter as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II. Law enforcement sources told CBS News he used a shotgun bought by his mother, and police said up to 15 rounds were fired during the classroom shooting. Police said Friday they believed the teenage gunman was targeting a class of children with special needs.
The bystander who intervened
Kaylub Giamanco, 36, was identified as the armed bystander who pursued the shooter into the school. He is a father of two children who attend the school, and his mother, Kenda Freeman, said he was on his lunch break when he saw the gunman on campus.
Freeman said her son grabbed his gun, followed the gunman back into the school and crawled through a window the gunman had shot out. She said he called her afterward and told her he had shot and killed the gunman. Giamanco works as a contractor and legally owns and carries his firearm, she said.
Hug your babies, love your neighbors.
— Kenda Freeman
Family reaction and aftermath
Freeman said the experience has left her son traumatized, and that he is struggling with the idea that he could not save everyone. She said his actions have drawn praise from community members and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek.
Freeman said the family is not focused on broader political debates about gun control. She said she hopes people will take the tragedy as a reminder to appreciate their loved ones.
What the mother said
Freeman described her son as someone who cares deeply about the people around him. She said she told him he was a hero who saved a lot of lives, and that he replied, "Mom, I couldn't save them all."
