Father of student released in Oregon school shooting released 911 call details

Kaylub Giamanco told a 911 dispatcher that he would shoot an armed intruder at his daughter's school.

The recording of the call was released to The Associated Press on Tuesday following a public records request. Giamanco was driving home for lunch on October 15 when he spotted a shooter at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. In a tense exchange lasting just over a minute, he informed the operator that someone with a gun was at the school. "I have a gun and I will shoot them right now," Giamanco said. The operator urged him to wait for an officer, but Giamanco grew frustrated. "I'm about to go kill this kid," he stated before noting the shooter was entering the building. The operator confirmed the shooter was firing before the call ended.

Griffin J. John II, a 16-year-old student, shot his way through locked doors into the school that day. He killed three children, ages 5, 8, and 11, and a teacher in a special needs classroom. Another student was critically injured, and a teacher was hospitalized. Cassidy Schutz, a certified learning specialist, confronted the shooter before Giamanco arrived. Schutz threw her phone at the attacker, tackled him, and wrestled for control of the weapon. Giamanco entered through an open window and shot the attacker, dropping him to the floor. Giamanco later called Schutz a real true hero because her actions provided him with an opening to fire.

Schutz, who was not previously identified by Bend-La Pine Schools until last week, shared a statement regarding the tragedy. She described the event as a horrific and heartbreaking reality rather than a story. Schutz said her thoughts are with those who were lost and those who were hurt. She noted that her focus is on the families, the school, and her own healing. Becky Drury, a second teacher in the classroom, previously released a statement detailing her experience. Drury said she tried to shut the door behind her but the shooter was already there. "Before I could do anything more, he shot me at close range and I fell to the ground," Drury said. She was shot in her left hand and right arm and pretended to be dead to avoid further shots.

Giamanco spoke to Oregon Public Broadcasting about his regrets and actions. He said he regrets not arriving soon enough to save everyone who was killed and injured. As he raced toward the building, he climbed in through a window and peeked into a nearby classroom. He saw Schutz and the shooter in profile, which gave him an open shot. "I felt like I was the last line of defense between him and the rest of the children," Giamanco said. He stepped into the room and fired his gun. The teacher ran from the room, and the shooter reached for his shotgun. Giamanco said he shot the attacker two more times to ensure he could not move. "If I wasn't there, I just don't know what would have happened," he said.

The school district confirmed the identities of the victims and the teachers involved in the incident. The 911 call provides a direct account of the moments before Giamanco entered the classroom. The release of the audio comes as the community in Bend continues to process the events of October 15. The district has maintained contact with the families of the injured and the deceased.