Students in Bend, Oregon, did not return to class on Monday as the town grieved after a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School left a teacher and three children dead. The attack happened on Thursday and has shaken families across the community.
Police said a 16-year-old former student entered the school and fired a shotgun inside a special needs classroom. The victims were teacher Megan Lambert, 25, and three children. One of the children was Rhoam Summer, who was five years old. The other two were aged eight and 11.
Four adults and five children were in the classroom when the shooting began, according to Bend police. Authorities said the attack lasted about three minutes.
Investigators said the teenager entered the school grounds by jumping a fence. A driver in a red Toyota pickup tried to stop him, but the teenager fired at the vehicle. The truck was hit at least three times.
The driver then drove away and called 911 shortly before 1 p.m., police said.
The teenager went on to the school building and fired at the glass in a set of double doors. After breaking through, he turned left into a mixed-age special needs classroom near the front entrance and opened fire.
Police said the gunman fired as many as 15 shots inside the room. He was carrying a Maverick 88 pump-action 12-gauge shotgun and had about 44 rounds left, according to investigators.
The attack ended after people inside the school confronted the teenager. Police Chief Mike Krantz said a teacher threw her cellphone at the gunman and then wrestled with him in an effort to take the shotgun away.
Kaylub Giamanco, 36, a father of two students at the school, saw the struggle and entered the building through a broken window, police said. He was carrying a legally owned .40-caliber handgun and fired several shots at the teenager.
The gunman died after Giamanco opened fire, according to police. President Donald Trump praised the father, calling him “a great hero.”
The actions of the teacher and Giamanco became a key part of the account of how the shooting stopped. Their intervention took place during a fast-moving attack that left four people dead and several families facing a devastating loss.
The investigation remains open. The Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office said Monday that the case was still active. Officials have not confirmed whether the teenager’s mother could face charges.
Authorities have not provided a complete account of how the teenager obtained the shotgun or what led him to attack the school. Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians said the teenager was an enrolled member of the tribe. The group’s chief executive officer, Kurtis Barker, expressed sympathy for the families of the victims and the wider Bend community.
The shooting has left the town mourning a teacher and three young students whose lives were cut short. It has also raised concerns about the impact of school violence on children, staff and families who may struggle to feel safe after such an event.
The absence of students from classrooms on Monday reflected the community’s grief as families and school staff began to deal with the aftermath. Support for those affected will be important as the investigation continues and the school community considers its next steps.
The incident also adds to the national debate over shootings at schools across the United States. CNN counted the Bend attack as the 36th shooting this year on K-12 school grounds.
The number highlights the continuing challenge of preventing gun violence in schools. Each attack brings renewed questions about school security, firearm access and how communities can respond to threats before they turn deadly.
For Bend, the focus remains on remembering the victims and supporting those who knew them. The deaths of three children and a teacher have brought grief to the school and the wider town.
Police and prosecutors continue to review the case as they work to establish the full details of the attack. Further information may emerge as investigators examine the evidence and determine whether any additional legal action is warranted.
