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Good morning, Northwest.
Oregonians are expecting more details to emerge this weekend and beyond about the shooting at a Bend elementary school. Yesterday, police revealed that multiple people tried to stop the suspect and prevent further bloodshed. OPB reporters in Bend and Portland documented what unfolded on Day 2 of the tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary School.
And while families across the state are still processing the trauma, OPB’s Natalie Pate spoke with mental health experts who offered advice for parents on how to talk to their kids during this challenging time.
Here’s your First Look at Saturday’s news.
— Winston Szeto
Top stories
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz gets emotional while speaking during a press conference at Bend Municipal Court after an Oct. 15 mass shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School left five dead, including three students, one teacher and the shooter, in Bend, Ore., on Oct. 16, 2026.
Eli Imadali / OPB
In the first full day of loss, Bend learns more about Silver Rail shooting
A passerby in a pickup truck, a local father, and an elementary school teacher all acted quickly and likely prevented an even worse tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, where three students and another teacher died in a shooting in a special education classroom, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said yesterday.
At least two drivers saw Griffin J. John II, a 16-year-old who previously attended Silver Rail Elementary, approach the school with a gun, Krantz said. The teen threw his weapon over a fence, then climbed that fence to access the school campus, he said.
One driver, in a pickup truck, verbally confronted the suspect, who then shot at the truck and struck it at least three times, he said. That driver proceeded down the street to call 911, while the driver of a second vehicle, the father of two students at Silver Rail, followed the armed teen into the school’s parking lot, Krantz said.
That man, who the Associated Press has identified as Kaylub Giamanco, grabbed his legally secured .40-caliber pistol and followed the teen into the school, Krantz said.
Teachers responded immediately. By the time Giamanco entered the classroom, one teacher, who had thrown a cell phone as the suspect, was fighting with the teen, said Krantz, noting that this teacher was not seriously injured.
That’s when Giamanco shot and killed the 16-year-old shooter, Krantz said. (Jireh Deng, Jen Baires, Holly Bartholomew, Joni Auden Land, Troy Brynelson, Dirk VanderHart, Bryce Dole, Amelia Templeton and Courtney Sherwood)
A stuffed animal and other items mark a makeshift memorial in front of Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore., on Oct. 16, 2026, where an Oct. 15 mass shooting left three children, a teacher and the shooter dead.
Eli Imadali / OPB
How parents can talk with their children about the Bend school shooting
In the aftermath of the deadly school shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend this week, families near and far are navigating how to talk about the tragedy with their children.
A big takeaway from mental health and trauma experts is that everyone processes and grieves in their own way, in their own time. But opening the door to that conversation, especially right after an incident, is key.
Here’s how local experts, including counselors with Oregon’s nationally renowned Dougy Center for Grieving Children and Families, recommend working through these challenging times together. (Natalie Pate)
Northwest headlines
On Oct. 8, 2026, the Palmer Snowfield below the Palmer Express chairlift was almost completely bare. Timber Lodge had to close the lift on July 19, its earliest closing day.
Cameron Nielsen / OPB
- Portland superintendent: ‘Leaning into Scenario B’ on school closure plans (Elizabeth Miller)
- Oregon’s off track in reducing emissions from the transportation sector (Monica Samayoa)
- Drought, heat wave leaves Mount Hood barren by early fall (April Ehrlich)
- Department of Justice sues Portland over mask ban (Alex Zielinski)
- Citizen panel rejects pay hike for Washington governor (Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard)
- Wondering where your ballot went? A new Oregon tool helps you keep track (Shaanth Nanguneri, Oregon Capital Chronicle)
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