Father who shot the Oregon school shooter speaks about his experience

Interview with the father who stopped the shooter

Kaleb Jamanko, a 36-year-old carpenter who shot the attacker at Silver Rail Elementary School in Oregon, spoke about his experience in an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting, released on Friday. According to BBC News, he said he wants to apologize to the parents of the children who were killed because he could not save them: 'Being thanked for saving other people's children is wonderful, but there were those I did not save.' He added that he wants to meet the families of the victims, 'cry with them and hug them.'

How the attack unfolded

The attack took place earlier this month. According to BBC News, the 16-year-old former student, Griffin J John II, shot and killed three boys aged 5, 8 and 11 and a teacher. In total, six people were wounded in the classroom: another child and a teacher were injured. The attacker's motive remains under investigation. According to Jamanko, that day he had driven home for lunch and found himself near the school when he saw a man with a long gun who fired at a pickup truck and headed toward the school. He took a pistol from his car, called emergency services, and, hearing children pleading for help, climbed through a broken window. Inside the classroom, the teacher was struggling with the shooter; Jamanko opened the door and fired, then fired again when the attacker reached for his weapon. Seeing a police officer, he placed his weapon on the ground and raised his hands.

The teacher's role and the victims

Jamanko thanked the teacher who was the first to fight the attacker, calling her 'a true hero.' According to police statements made by Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz, the teacher threw a phone at the shooter, knocked him down and tried to wrestle the shotgun away from him; Krantz said she 'almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed.' The teacher who was killed was 25-year-old Megan Lambert, who, according to her family, worked at her 'dream job.' The wounded teacher, 54-year-old Becky Drury, told American media that the shooter fired at her as she tried to close the classroom door. The youngest victim, five-year-old Roam Summer — his father said the family is 'broken and lost.' The names of the other two boys are not being released at the families' request.

Reaction and aftermath

Jamanko's name became known less than a day after the attack; his mother, Kenda Freeman, read out a family statement saying that he is not seeking recognition and asks for privacy. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised his actions, noting their emotional toll. Jamanko himself said he now cannot fall asleep after his family goes to bed and relives the attack over and over: 'I see faces, I hear voices, I hear screams.' It is worth noting editorially: based on the facts presented, the outcome of the attack was determined by the actions of two civilians — the teacher who held off the shooter and the father who happened to be nearby; at the same time, Jamanko himself emphasizes that the intervention did not save everyone. The remaining unknowns — the 16-year-old attacker's motive and the findings of the investigation — have not yet been disclosed by police.

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