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A Sacramento parent says her lad acted connected instinct erstwhile helium confronted and fatally changeable a gunman during a deadly schoolhouse shooting successful Oregon, an onslaught that killed 3 children and a teacher.
Police said Friday they believed the teenage gunman was targeting a people of children with peculiar needs erstwhile helium opened occurrence astatine the school.
36-year-old Kaylub Giamanco was identified arsenic the equipped bystander who pursued the shooter into Silver Rail Elementary School successful the metropolis of Bend connected Thursday. Giamanco is simply a begetter of 2 children who be the school.
His mother, Kenda Freeman, said Giamanco is primitively from Placerville, astir 45 minutes northeast of Sacramento, but has lived successful Oregon for much than 30 years.
Freeman, a Sacramento resident, spoke with CBS News Sacramento exclusively astir her son's actions and the affectional toll she said helium has experienced since the shooting. She described her lad arsenic idiosyncratic who cares profoundly astir the radical astir him.
"Kaylub has a genuine bosom and helium loves his assemblage and his household and his children," Freeman said. "He's conscionable a bully person, successful general."
Undated photos of Kaylub Giamanco.
Kenda Freeman
According to Freeman, Giamanco was heading location during his luncheon interruption erstwhile helium saw the 16-year-old shooter connected the school's campus.
"Kaylub knew thing was not right, truthful helium pulled up onto the grass, grabbed his weapon and fundamentally stalked the gunman backmost into the school," she said. "He crawled done a model that the gunman had changeable out. He service crawled done the window."
Freeman said her lad called her soon aft the confrontation and told her what had happened.
"He said, 'Mom, I conscionable changeable and killed somebody.' I said, 'Kaylub, archer maine astir it.' He said, 'A antheral went into my daughter's schoolhouse and changeable kids,' and helium said, 'and I looked astatine him point-blank, and I changeable and killed him, Mom.' "
Kenda Freeman and Kaylub Giamanco pictured together.
Kenda Freeman
Giamanco works arsenic a contractor and has been astir firearms for overmuch of his life. Freeman said helium legally owns and carries his ain firearm.
Freeman said the acquisition has near him traumatized.
"I told him helium was a hero, helium did what helium had to do, and that helium did the close thing, and that I was arrogant of him and that helium was a leader and helium saved a batch of lives," she said. "And helium said, 'Mom, I couldn't prevention them all.' "
Three children and a teacher were killed successful the shooting earlier Giamanco fatally changeable the suspect, authorities said.
The shooter has since been identified by Bend constabulary arsenic 16-year-old Griffin J. John II. Law enforcement sources told CBS News that John utilized a shotgun that was bought by his mother. Police said Friday that that up to 15 rounds were fired by the fishy during the schoolroom shooting.
Another kid and a teacher were wounded successful the attack, and some remained hospitalized Friday. Both of Giamanco's children survived.
"It's pugnacious because, well, I'm thankful that my babies are OK. There are babies that are not, and that's hard to swallow due to the fact that my bosom goes retired to those families that didn't get to bring their babies home," Freeman said done tears.
Giamanco's actions person drawn praise from assemblage members and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, but Freeman said her lad is struggling with the thought that helium could not prevention everyone.
"He's having a hard clip with it — again, the thought of not being capable to prevention them all, right? When helium closes his eyes and the things that helium thinks about: 'What could I person done differently? How could I person done it better?' " Freeman said.
Freeman said she hopes radical volition instrumentality the calamity arsenic a reminder to admit their loved ones: "Hug your babies, emotion your neighbors."
Family responds to questions astir weapon ownership
Shootings of this quality usually spark nationalist treatment astir weapon control.
Freeman said those broader governmental debates are not the family's precedence arsenic they process what happened. She said Giamanco grew up hunting, has agelong been acquainted with firearms and legally owns and carries his weapon, arsenic galore bash successful his community.
According to Freeman, his volition successful owning a firearm was to person a mode to support his family.
This communicative published first connected CBS News astatine 8:48 p.m. connected Oct. 16, 2026.
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