Father who killed Oregon shooter describes trauma

Kaylub Giamanco, the father who shot and killed the suspect at a Oregon elementary school last month, described the lingering trauma of the event in a television interview. He stated that closing his eyes brings back the sound of students screaming.

Giamanco appeared on a Tuesday broadcast of CBS Mornings. He explained that the auditory memory is the most disturbing aspect for him. He noted that he sometimes feels trapped in his own mind when the memories surface.

The incident occurred on Oct. 15 while Giamanco was driving home from work during his lunch break. He observed a boy carrying a gun enter Silver Rail Elementary, where his children are students. Giamanco said his instinct to fight or flight took over, prompting him to enter the building with his own firearm.

Inside the school, Giamanco found the 16-year-old shooter in a struggle with a teacher. By that point, the shooter had killed three students aged 5, 8 and 11, along with one teacher. A teacher had thrown her phone at the shooter and tackled him before Giamanco arrived. Giamanco stated he did not want to kill anyone but determined that stopping the shooter was necessary to prevent further deaths.

After reuniting with his daughter, Giamanco expressed mixed emotions. He was relieved to hold his child but grieved for the families who lost their children that day. President Donald Trump praised Giamanco, while Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek acknowledged the heavy emotional burden he will carry.

Lindsay Nichols, policy director at Giffords, offered a different perspective on the event. She told HuffPost that a parent shooting a killer inside a school is a tragedy rather than a success story. She argued that no parent or teacher should be required to be that brave. Nichols said common-sense gun laws work better than relying on bystanders to stop a shooter.

Police told The Associated Press that the shooter purchased the gun used in the attack from his mother. Nichols identified this as a recurring theme in mass shootings. She stated that Oregon law allows a parent to provide a firearm to a child without proper supervision. She called this a loophole that should be closed and said the law should require adults to supervise a minor to whom they have given a firearm.