He Confronted a Gunman at His Daughters' School — Then Said Something His Mother Would Never Forget

Kaylub Giamanco was heading home for lunch when he found himself confronting a teenage gunman inside his daughters' elementary school. Minutes later, the 36-year-old father called his mother — and his first words were something she would never forget.

People across America would soon call him a hero, but his family photographs showed the man behind that extraordinary moment. And what he told his mother afterward revealed a painful side of the story that the headlines couldn't capture.

An Ordinary School Day Turned Into a Nightmare

October 15, 2026, was supposed to be picture day at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. Parents had dressed their children for photographs, unaware that before the afternoon was over, some families would be facing an unimaginable loss.

Shortly before 1 p.m., a 16-year-old boy carrying a shotgun approached the school grounds. He fired at a passing driver who tried to stop him, then forced his way into the building as frightened students and teachers struggled to escape.

Kaylub, a local carpenter whose two daughters attended the school, witnessed the frightening scene while driving home for lunch. Instead of continuing on his way, he retrieved his legally secured pistol and followed the attacker inside.

There, a teacher was already fighting the teenager, having thrown her cellphone at him before tackling him. Kaylub fired several shots, killing the attacker and ending the immediate danger.

Tragically, three children, ages five, eight, and eleven, and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert had already been killed. Another child and a teacher were injured, leaving the Oregon community devastated.

Kaylub's daughters survived, and his intervention helped prevent further bloodshed. During those terrifying minutes, three people had tried to stop the gunman — a passing driver, a teacher, and Kaylub — before the attack finally ended.

But Who Was the Man Behind the Headlines?

As details of the shooting spread, Kaylub's name began appearing in headlines across America. The father who had rushed into his children's school was being praised as a hero, and strangers wanted to know more about him.

Then came the photographs from his Facebook profile. They showed a very different side of his life — a husband, a father of two girls, and a man surrounded by years of family memories, long before the afternoon that brought him national attention.

Kaylub was married to Kelsey Giamanco, and together they were raising two daughters. The couple had built their family life in Bend, where he had spent most of his childhood and adult years.

His wife's Facebook page offered another glimpse of the family's personal memories. And while their daughters were still young, they were already growing up in the same Oregon community where their father had gone to school.

Two Little Girls Were at the Center of It All

The Giamancos' daughters were just five and ten years old, both attending Silver Rail Elementary. On the morning of the attack, they had gone to school like hundreds of other children, expecting another ordinary Thursday with their teachers and friends.

Their father had been returning home during his lunch break when he encountered the gunman. The decision he made that afternoon would soon affect the entire family, even though both girls survived the shooting.

The girls' safety was only part of what Kaylub's relatives were thinking about afterward. His family knew that he had witnessed a terrifying scene, and they were worried about how he would cope with the experience.

But as people began learning more about him, an unexpected detail from his past emerged. This wasn't the first time Kaylub had helped someone facing a life-threatening emergency.

Another Frightening Moment From His Past

Just four months before the school shooting, one of Kaylub's brothers had been seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. The injuries were so severe that he was in danger of bleeding to death before an ambulance could arrive.

Kaylub used a tourniquet to help stop the bleeding, an action his childhood friend Dylan Costa later credited with saving his brother's life. Now, only months later, Kaylub had once again found himself responding to a terrifying emergency.

The school shooting, however, had left Kaylub dealing with something far more difficult. Four people had lost their lives before he stopped the attacker, and even as strangers praised him, he was struggling to accept what had happened.

His family was also close to the relatives of a seven-year-old girl who had been seriously injured during the attack. She had undergone surgery, and her recovery remained a major concern for the people who knew her.

There Was One Person He Needed to Call

Hundreds of miles away, Kaylub's mother, Kenda Freeman, was living in Sacramento, California. She had watched her son grow up, marry, and become a father himself, never imagining that he would one day find himself confronting an armed teenager at his daughters' school.

Kenda described him as a man who deeply loved his family and community. But after the shooting, her conversations with him revealed that he was struggling with the lives he hadn't been able to save.

Kaylub wasn't seeking interviews or public recognition. While many people focused on the children he had helped protect, he kept returning to the terrible events inside the classroom.

His brother, Kyle, knew just how much the experience was affecting him. And the last few family photographs offered a glimpse of the personal life Kaylub was now trying to return to, while one difficult conversation with his mother remained at the heart of the story.

There was one more person who understood the father behind the headlines in a way strangers never could. Kenda knew her son's voice, his character, and the family he had built, but she was about to hear him describe something no mother wants her child to experience.

For Kaylub, calling his mother meant telling her about a decision he had made in a matter of seconds. And when she answered, he didn't begin with the lives he had saved.

Then His Mother Heard Those First Words

In a BBC interview, Kenda recalled the phone call she received shortly after her son confronted the gunman. He had survived, and both of his daughters were safe, but the first thing he told her was not what she expected.

"Mom, I just shot and killed somebody," Kaylub said. Kenda asked him to explain what had happened, and he told her that a man had entered his daughter's school and shot children.

Kenda tried to reassure him that he had done the right thing. She told him that she was proud of him, that he had saved many lives, and that he was a hero, hoping he would understand how much his actions meant.

But Kaylub wasn't thinking about praise. He was still struggling with the deaths of the children and their teacher, and he answered with another heartbreaking admission: "Mom, I couldn't save them all."

His Brother Explained Why the Praise Was So Difficult

Kaylub's brother, Kyle, later revealed that the 36-year-old was struggling with guilt. He couldn't stop thinking about the children who had died and felt that he should have been able to save more people.

Kyle explained that this was why Kaylub didn't want to speak publicly. He didn't feel like a hero, even though others believed his actions had prevented further deaths.

A Grieving Family Wanted Him to Know Something

Among those who expressed gratitude were the relatives of 25-year-old Megan Lambert, the teacher killed during the attack. Megan had grown up in Bend and dreamed of teaching in the same community where she had once been a student.

Even while mourning her death, her family wanted Kaylub to know that they recognized what he had done. They acknowledged the emotional burden he was carrying and thanked him for risking his life to protect others.

But There Was Another Side to Being a Hero

Amy Reynolds later organized a fundraiser for Kaylub, Kelsey, and their two daughters. Donations were intended to help cover trauma-informed therapy, lost income while Kaylub took time away from work, and the family's everyday expenses.

Amy also shared a reminder: "Being brave does not mean being unaffected." Kaylub had acted during an emergency, but his family still needed time and support to deal with everything that followed.

There was something else Kaylub hoped would come from the tragedy. He wanted meaningful changes that would make schools safer, so other parents wouldn't have to face the fear that had shaken his own community.

His Mother Had One Message for Other Parents

For Kenda, there was enormous relief that her son and granddaughters were alive, but she couldn't forget the families who had suffered unimaginable losses. She spoke about the pain of knowing that some parents would never get to bring their children home again.

Her message to other mothers and fathers was simple: "Hug your babies, love your neighbors." And while strangers continued calling Kaylub a hero, his family was now focused on helping him, Kelsey, and their two little girls through everything that came next.