BEND, Ore. — Police have begun naming the victims of Thursday’s shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School and say the 16-year-old gunman was a former student who had received special education services at the school.
Three children and a teacher were killed. Two other people were wounded. The gunman died at the scene.
Who was killed and wounded
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz identified two of the dead at a news conference Friday: Rhoam Summer, a 5-year-old student, and Megan Lambert, a 25-year-old teacher. Some outlets spell her first name “Meghan.” The other two children who died were 8 and 11 years old. Their names have not been made public.
Lambert was in her first teaching job at Silver Rail. A person who spoke about her at the news conference said the school was her dream job and that she had always stood up for students with special needs.
Two others were hurt. One is a 7-year-old child. The other is Becky Drury, 54, an educational assistant in the school’s special education department, according to a family spokesperson. Both were taken to a hospital, and CBS News reported they were critically wounded.
What police say happened
The first 911 call came in around 12:59 p.m. Thursday. The caller said an unknown man had shot into a car. Within a minute, more callers reported that someone had gone into the school and started shooting.
Krantz said the teen came to the school from a wooded area, threw a weapon over the fence, and climbed it. He then shot through the glass panes of the exterior double doors and entered the building. Krantz said he went straight into the classroom just to the left of the entrance and fired as many as 15 rounds. Police said the weapon was a 12-gauge shotgun.
Every victim was in that classroom, which was a mixed-age special needs room, according to Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook.
The bystander
The gunman was shot and killed by a community member. Krantz said that man saw the teen go into the school, followed him inside, and shot him with a .40-caliber pistol. Officers arrived within three minutes of the first 911 call and found the gunman already dead.
The bystander’s family identified him as Kaylub Giamanco, 36, a carpenter. He has two daughters who attend Silver Rail.
The gunman
Police named the 16-year-old on Friday. He lived in Bend and used to attend Silver Rail, but he was not enrolled in the Bend-La Pine school district this year. Cook said he had been a special needs student at the school. The reports reviewed for this story do not describe a motive, and police have not said what led to the attack.
About the school
Silver Rail Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade, roughly ages 5 to 11. Police say it has about 450 students and 40 staff members. The school went into lockdown, and families were sent to a reunification site at Journey Church.
Cook said the district was “stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy.” Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden also issued a statement saying his heart goes out to the victims and their loved ones. A makeshift memorial of flowers has appeared outside the school.
What’s next
Police are still investigating. Officials have not yet released the names of the two other children who died. This story will be updated as more details are confirmed.
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