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Mother of hero who brought down Oregon school shooter reveals heartbreaking call moments later: 'Mom, I couldn't save them all'

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Cite

Guzman, A. (2026, October 17). Mother of hero who brought down Oregon school shooter reveals heartbreaking call moments later: 'Mom, I couldn't save them all'. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16217079/kaylub-giamanco-mom-phone-call-oregon-shooter-griffin-john.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-10-17 · by Alyssa Guzman

Quick Summary

Kenda Freeman received a call from her son Kaylub Giamanco shortly after he fatally shot Griffin John II, a school shooter at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. In his emotional message, Giamanco expressed regret for not being able to save all the children. The incident left three students and one teacher dead; five-year-old Rhoam Summer, eight-year-old, 11-year-old student (names unrevealed), and teacher Meghan Lambert were among the victims, while another child was injured but survived. Giamanco, who has been celebrated as a hero for stopping the gunman during his lunch break, is grappling with the traumatic aftermath of the event.
Written by AI on 2026-10-17, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On October 15, 2026, an active shooter report led to a lockdown at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. The Bend Police Department responded with a significant presence, directing families to Journey Church at 61303 S. Highway 97 as a reunification site. The Associated Press reported that the incident resulted in the deaths of four people, including three children and one teacher. The shooter, Griffin John II, age 16, is also among those killed; he was shot by Kaylub Giamanco, a father who happened to be nearby when the shooting began. Saylor Graham-Poarch, a seven-year-old girl with disabilities who was shot in the face during the attack but survived, has since been moved out of intensive care and faces a long recovery process.

Written for “Oregon Elementary School Shooting” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 119 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Oregon Elementary School Shooting
Crime & Law · 120 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 6% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
CBS News
Hedges 5 of 38 claims Outlet record 66/100
CBC News
Hedges 4 of 42 claims Outlet record 60/100
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 9 claims Outlet record 66/100
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 11 claims Outlet record 66/100
The Guardian
Hedges 2 of 20 claims Outlet record 66/100
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 10 claims Outlet record 66/100
Toronto Star
Hedges 4 of 30 claims Outlet record 64/100
The Straits Times
Hedges 2 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
35
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
2 of 35 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
68/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
120
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-17 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 8535 article(s) · 20 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 20 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Alyssa Guzman
45 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 Robert Zullo, 55, was allegedly told he would 'never work in the banking industry again' during a confrontation with his boss, AJ Venit, in August 2025.
🔮 Sterling replied: 'So, if you would like to go to jail, stay in your car for five more minutes and we’ll be going to jail.
🔮 'If you were going to cook me a dish, what would it be?' Gilman asked the man, who was arrested on Monday on domestic battery charges.
🔮 'I just might do [start doing stand-up], because it sounds interesting.
🔮 Giamanco recalled having a totally normal morning before the shooting would change everything.
🔮 Other rides will also be tested, Los Cabos Mayor Christian Agundez said.
🔮 However, after asking a man to move so he could get off and take the escalator out of the station, the man shoved him to the ground, he told ABC 7 this week.
Also by Alyssa Guzman
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 45 articles by Alyssa Guzman →

Topics

Bend CBS Sacramento NBC News Oregon Silver Rail Elementary School

Subjects

Giamanco PERSON · 13× John PERSON · 6× Oregon GPE · 5× Bend GPE · 3× Griffin John II PERSON · 3× Kaylub Giamanco PERSON · 2× Kenda Freeman PERSON · 2× Meghan Lambert PERSON · 2× Rhoam Summer PERSON · 2× Saylor Graham PERSON · 2×

Narrative

Giamanco is struggling to accept that he couldn't save all the children and were traumatized by the experience, his mother said Griffin John II, 16, killed three students and one teacher on Thursday Three students – ages five, eight and 11 – and one teacher were killed by the former student.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-17
🔮 The mother of an Oregon man who has been hailed a hero for shooting dead an elementary school gunman said her son called her afterward, lamenting over the fact he couldn't save more people.

Claims (35 extracted, 2 hedged)

The mother of an Oregon man who has been hailed a hero for shooting dead an elementary school gunman said her son called her afterward, lamenting over the fact he couldn't save more people. asserted
he → hail → people
Kenda Freeman received a call from her son, Kaylub Giamanco, 36, on Thursday immediately after the father-of-two had shot Griffin John II, 16, dead inside the Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. asserted
father → receive → Bend
'He said: "Mom, I just shot and killed somebody,"' she recalled to CBS Sacramento. asserted
she → say → Sacramento
'I said: "Kaylub, tell me about it." asserted
I → say → it
He said: "A man went into my daughter's school and shot kids," and he said, "And I looked at him point-blank, and I shot and killed him, Mom."' asserted
I → say → him
The Bend community has hailed Giamanco a hero, crediting him with saving dozens of children's lives on Thursday. asserted
community → hail → Thursday
'I told him he was a hero, he did what he had to do, and that he did the right thing, and that I was proud of him and that he was a hero and he saved a lot of lives,' Freeman told the outlet. asserted
Freeman → tell → outlet
'And he said: "Mom, I couldn't save them all." asserted
I → say → them
John killed three students, including five-year-old Rhoam Summer, and teacher Meghan Lambert, 25, before Giamanco killed him. asserted
Giamanco → kill → him
John also injured Saylor Graham, seven, and educational assistant Becky Drury. asserted
John → injure → Graham
Kaylub Giamanco, 36, killed school shooter, Griffin John II, on Thursday while he shot at children at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon Giamanco's mom, Kenda Freeman, received a phone call immediately afterward, where he admitted he killed the shooter. asserted
he → kill → shooter
She has dubbed her son a hero The experience traumatized Giamanco, who lies awake at night thinking how he could have done it differently, his mother said. uncertain
mother → dub → it
Giamanco noticed John while the dad was driving home on his lunch break and knew something was wrong. asserted
something → notice → break
He army-crawled through the window the shooter had shot out to gain access to the school his children attended. asserted
children → crawl → school
Police said John fired off 15 rounds before he was killed by Giamanco. asserted
he → say → Giamanco
He targeted the special needs classroom, where he was once a student. asserted
he → target → classroom
John used a gun his mother had purchased around his 16th birthday in August. asserted
mother → use → August
Law enforcement remained unsure as to how John obtained his ammunition, saying the investigation was 'very active.' His motive is currently unknown. asserted
motive → remain → ammunition
As for Giamanco, he holds a concealed carry license. asserted
he → hold → license
Giamanco is a carpenter and a father of two girls, ages five and 10, who attend Silver Rail Elementary, his brother told NBC News. asserted
brother → attend → News
'I looked at him point-blank, and I shot and killed him, Mom,"' his mother recalled him saying. asserted
him → look → him
Giamanco's children attend the school asserted
children → attend → school
Giamanco is struggling to accept that he couldn't save all the children and were traumatized by the experience, his mother said Griffin John II, 16, killed three students and one teacher on Thursday Three students – ages five, eight and 11 – and one teacher were killed by the former student. asserted
students → struggle → student
The five-year-old was identified by his father as Rhoam Summer. asserted
old → identify → Summer
Saylor Graham, seven, was shot in the face, but lived President Donald Trump praised Giamanco for stopping the Oregon school shooting. ' asserted
Trump → shoot → shooting
Well, I'll tell you what, there was a great hero. asserted
I → tell → you
We had a great hero that went in and did the business,' Trump told reporters outside of the White House on Friday. asserted
Trump → have → Friday
'He took care of business, and thank God we had him. asserted
we → take → him
It's a terrible thing, but thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it. asserted
that → thank → it
During a press conference on Thursday, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek called Giamanco a hero. asserted
Kotek → call → Giamanco
'To the community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life: Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well,' Kotek said. asserted
Kotek → intervene → you
A GoFundMe has been set up for Giamanco to help pay for therapy, any legal expenses he may face, and to support him while he takes time off work following the tragedy. uncertain
he → set → tragedy
The fundraiser has garnered nearly $280,000 by Saturday afternoon. asserted
fundraiser → garner → afternoon
'Kaylub, his wife Kelsey, and their two young daughters have an incredibly difficult road ahead of them,' the fundraiser stated. asserted
fundraiser → have → them
'The emotional and psychological impact of this tragedy cannot be overstated, and they deserve the time, space and resources to begin healing together.' asserted
they → overstate → time
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