A 16-year-old former pupil has been identified as the suspect in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, in which three children and a teacher were killed.
Griffin J. John II opened fire at the school on Thursday, October 15, according to Bend police chief Mike Krantz. A seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were also wounded and remained in critical condition.
Police said the victims were aged five, eight and 11. The attacker was killed inside the school shortly after officers arrived, after an armed member of the public followed him into the building and shot him. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/989180ae6e9aa2ed6a4239c8e3423085))
John fired up to 15 rounds from a 12-gauge shotgun and had about 44 rounds remaining when he was killed, Chief Krantz said. Investigators are still examining his motive and how he obtained the weapon and ammunition.
What happened at Silver Rail Elementary School
The first emergency call came at 12.59pm on Thursday after someone reported that a person had fired at a car outside Silver Rail Elementary. Further 911 calls were then made from inside the school, prompting officers to respond within minutes.
Police said the gunman forced his way into the building by shooting through locked doors. The victims were all in the same classroom, Chief Krantz said.
A teacher threw her mobile phone at the attacker before tackling and fighting him, in what the police chief described as a heroic intervention. She was not injured, according to authorities. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/989180ae6e9aa2ed6a4239c8e3423085))
The man who shot the suspect was identified by his mother as Kaylub Giamanco, a lifelong Bend resident and the father of two girls at the school. His family said he was not seeking recognition and had asked for privacy.
The weapon used in the attack was a pump-action shotgun bought by the suspect’s mother, according to a law-enforcement official briefed on the investigation. The official spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to discuss the case publicly.
Under Oregon law, a minor may possess a shotgun if it is provided by a parent or by another person with parental consent.
Silver Rail Elementary teaches children from kindergarten through fifth grade and had about 450 pupils enrolled last year. Classes and other activities were cancelled across Bend on Friday as the community began to respond to the attack. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/989180ae6e9aa2ed6a4239c8e3423085))
Local authorities, health services and Bend-La Pine Schools arranged support gatherings for families, pupils and staff on Friday, while the investigation into the shooting continued. ([bendoregon.gov](https://bendoregon.gov/community-support-resources/))
