Washington DC [US], October 17 : US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) praised the bystander who stopped the gunman during a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, calling him a "great hero" and saying his intervention prevented the incident from becoming even worse.
Speaking to reporters ahead of a rally in Georgia, Trump lauded the bystander's actions and expressed gratitude for his intervention.
"I'll tell you what, there was a great hero, and it could have been as bad as it was; we had a great hero that went in and did the business. He, he took care of business. And, thank God we had him; otherwise it would have been much worse. It's a terrible thing, but thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it," Trump said.
According to CBS News, the bystander was identified as Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old lifelong Bend resident whose two daughters attend the school. Police said he pursued and fatally shot the 16-year-old gunman, ending the "rampage" that killed three children and a teacher and wounded two others.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz also praised a teacher who threw her cellphone at the gunman before tackling him and fighting to take his firearm, saying her actions almost certainly helped prevent further bloodshed.
“In addition to the 36-year-old man who bravely stepped in to stop the suspect, I want to highlight another person whose heroic action we need to recognise: a teacher in the classroom threw her cellphone at the suspect and then tackled him and fought to take the firearm from him. She was not injured in that incident, but she almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed,” Krantz said, according to CBS News.
A statement released by Giamanco's family on Friday (local time) said he was not seeking recognition and expressed gratitude to first responders, school personnel and the community for their support. The family also requested privacy and said they would not be giving interviews.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek also praised the bystander for having “heroically intervened to stop further loss of life,” adding that his actions carried “a heavy emotional burden,” CBS News reported.
According to CBS News, police said the gunman, identified as Griffin J John II, entered the school by shooting out the glass on locked doors before Giamanco pursued him and fatally shot him.
When police arrived minutes later, they found the deceased gunman and four victims inside the school -- three children aged five, eight and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher. Two other victims, a student and a teacher, were hospitalised with critical injuries.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the gunman used a shotgun purchased by his mother. Police said he was from Bend and had previously attended the school.