A school day in Bend, Oregon, ended in the kind of violence that makes a community stop and measure what it has lost: three children and a teacher dead at Silver Rail Elementary, with the young man who did the killing also dead within minutes of the first call. Into that grief stepped an unnamed neighbor who, by his mother's account, is a father of two girls at the school, and who ended the attack with a gun. The national leaders who have since spoken about him have turned a local tragedy into a question about heroism, armed presence, and what a society asks of its ordinary people. The reasons
Trump Praises Armed Bystander Who Stopped Oregon School Shooter, Says Intervention Likely Saved Lives
Three children and a teacher were killed in the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, with four people killed in total including the suspect's victims.
Four people were dead; the suspect was found minutes after the first call
A school day in Bend, Oregon, ended in the kind of violence that makes a community stop and measure what it has lost: three children and a teacher dead at Silver Rail Elementary, with the young man who did the killing also dead within minutes of the first call. Into that grief stepped an unnamed neighbor who, by his mother's account, is a father of two girls at the school, and who ended the attack with a gun. The national leaders who have since spoken about him have turned a local tragedy into a question about heroism, armed presence, and what a society asks of its ordinary people. The reasons behind the teenager's choice of this school remain unexplained, and until investigators say more, the town is holding its sorrow and its gratitude together.
On Friday, outside the White House, President Donald Trump called a man he had been briefed on a hero. The man, a community member in Bend, Oregon, had shot and killed an armed teenager inside Silver Rail Elementary School a day earlier. The attack had left three children and a teacher dead. Trump said the outcome would have been far worse without him, and he expressed gratitude that someone on the scene had a gun and knew how to use it.
Police have not publicly named the bystander. His mother identified him as Kaylub Giamanco, a father of two girls who attend the school. Speaking outside her son's home near the school, she read from a prepared statement. She said he does not want recognition. He wants to thank first responders, school staff, and the community for the love and support that has followed.
The attack began Thursday afternoon. Police say the 16-year-old suspect, a Bend resident, fired a long gun through locked doors to force his way in. He killed four people before officers found him dead inside the school, minutes after the first emergency call. Per the account given to reporters, the community member who had entered shot him.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek also praised the man for stopping further loss of life. Those words do not change the central fact of the day: four people died inside an elementary school, and the shooter was a teenager from the same city.
The FBI is helping local police determine a motive. Reporting so far does not explain why the teenager chose the school or how he got the weapon. The bystander's identity rests on his mother's statement, not an official announcement. Formal identification and the investigation's findings are what to watch next.
On Friday, outside the White House, President Donald Trump told reporters about a man he called a hero: a community member in Bend, Oregon, who shot and killed an armed teenager inside Silver Rail Elementary School a day earlier. Trump said he had been briefed on the attack, which left three children and a teacher dead.
"There was a great hero," Trump said, adding that the man went in and "did the business" and "took care of business." He went on to say the outcome would have been far worse without him. "Thank God we had him," the president said, calling it a terrible thing but expressing gratitude for a man who had a gun and knew how to use it.
Police have not publicly named the bystander. His mother identified him as Kaylub Giamanco, a father of two girls who attend the school. She spoke to reporters outside her son's home, which is near the school, and read from a prepared statement. According to her, he is not seeking recognition and instead wants to thank first responders, school personnel and the community for the outpouring of love and support.
The attack began Thursday afternoon. Police say the suspect, a 16-year-old boy from Bend, forced his way into the building by firing a long gun through locked doors. He killed four people: three children and a teacher. Officers found him dead inside the school only minutes after the first emergency call came in. Per the account given to reporters, he was shot by the community member who had entered.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek also praised the man, saying his intervention stopped further loss of life. Neither the governor's comments nor the president's change the central fact of the day: four people died inside an elementary school, and the suspect was a teenager from the same city.
The FBI is assisting local police as they investigate the shooting and try to determine a motive. Nothing in the available reporting explains why the teenager chose the school or how he obtained the weapon. The bystander's identity rests, for now, on his mother's statement rather than an official police announcement. What to watch next: formal identification of those involved, and whatever investigators establish about the motive.
Citações Notáveis
Thank God we had him. Otherwise, it would have been much worse.— President Donald Trump
He is not seeking recognition, but wishes to express gratitude to first responders, school personnel and the community.— Mother of Kaylub Giamanco, reading a prepared statement
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Politics & Governance