‘It was just panic, not really knowing’: Parents of kids at Oregon elementary school shooting recount anxious moments
Silver Rail parent describes lockdown wait and reunion after shooting
BEND, Oregon (KTUU) - Oregon police have released the name of the suspected shooter in Thursday’s fatal shooting at an elementary school.
The Bend Police Department announced Friday during a press conference that a 16-year-old special needs suspect entered Silver Rail Elementary School Thursday afternoon and fatally shot four people and injured two others inside a special-needs classroom.
“He fired multiple rounds into the glass panes in the doors to gain access to the school,” Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said. “The suspect went directly into the classroom immediately to the left of the entry doors. He fired as many as 15 rounds.”
According to police, the suspect had previously attended the elementary school.
The victims included an 11-year-old, an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old named Rhoam Summer. The department said the families of the two other students killed will not release their names. Alongside the three students, a 25-year-old teacher named Megan Lambert was fatally shot.
“She loved Silver Rail. This was her dream job,” Sheila Miller, a spokesperson with the Bend Police Department, said as she read a statement from Lambert’s family.
“Megan was compassionate and had a huge heart. She always fought for the underdog and those with special needs.”
The statement went on to read, “We would like the other families to know they are in our thoughts and prayers. Megan loved those children and so we will show you love for her.”
The department also released information on Friday about a bystander who stepped in to stop the shooting.
Kaylub Giamanco, 36, whose two daughters attend Silver Rail Elementary School, was identified as the man who fatally shot the suspect. Giamanco witnessed the suspect shooting a vehicle before the suspect shot his way into the elementary school building.
“The 36-year-old man who parked at the school took out a 40 caliber pistol, that was legally secured in his vehicle … as he made entry through the forced open doors, he heard shooting and saw a teacher involved in a physical altercation with the suspect,” Krantz said. “He then went to the classroom where the struggle was underway and fired his weapon, striking the suspect multiple times.”
Giamanco’s mother, Kenda Freeman, called her son a hero on Friday morning.
“He’s traumatized … absolute hero, a hero,” Freeman said. “I’m very proud.”
Freeman is not the only one calling her son a hero this week. Silver Rail Elementary School parent Marilyn Haubach told Alaska’s News Source her son is a fifth-grader at the school. Giamanco’s actions, she said, allowed her to see her son.
“For him to not hesitate and to see the threat that was going into my community school, I have no words to express the appreciation that I have for him,” Haubach said. “There’s just no words.
“I got to take my son home.”
Haubach, who lives near the school, recalls hearing endless sirens Thursday afternoon as she waited anxiously in panic to understand what was going on after receiving news of the lockdown and a potential active shooter.
“As soon as my husband got home, he ran right over to the school to try to see if he could figure out anything,” Haubach said. “And within about, I would say 10 minutes of that, he ran back home and said, let’s get going. We need to go to Journey Church. That’s where they’re instructing us to go.”
While at the church, Haubach said, she received a call from her son from an unknown number.
“He said, ‘Mom, I’m scared. I don’t — I want you to come pick me up from school right now,’” Haubach said as she recalled her phone conversation with her son.
“I about cried ... also guilt because there was so many families there that were looking at me listening and hearing that I was talking to my son that was in the school, but mainly relief. It was definitely a thank God moment that I’m hearing my son’s voice and he’s okay,” Haubach said.
Haubach said she is now focusing on spending time as a family.
No motive has yet been identified in the shooting. Bend Police Department say that the shooting remains an open and active investigation.
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2026 KTUU. All rights reserved.