Hero teacher who tackled Bend gunman speaks out as community prepares to reopen school

Bend-La Pine Schools

A teacher hailed as a hero for her quick action to help stop the gunman who carried out the school shooting in Bend, Oregon, last month is speaking out about her experience as the community prepares to send its children back to the school.

“It all happened so fast, and I wish with everything in me that we had more time,” Cassidy Schutz, a certified learning specialist at Silver Rail Elementary, said in a statement Friday.

Courtesy Oregon Public Broadcasting

‘I have to go in,’ Bend school shooting hero told a 911 dispatcher. ‘People are going to die.’

After the shooting, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz described an unnamed teacher’s “heroic action” to stop the gunman who opened fire in a special needs classroom, killing three students and a teacher .

She threw her cellphone at the gunman and tackled him to try to get the gun away before a parent at the school fatally shot him, Krantz said.

Her quick action “almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed,” the chief said.

More than a week after the tragedy, Schutz came forward to address the incident in a statement released by the Bend-La Pine school district.

Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images

“There are no words to describe the depth of sadness I am feeling following the events of October 15th,” Schutz said in the statement. “My thoughts are with those who were lost, their families, those who were hurt, and those who were there that day. My heart is with you.”

Another student and teacher were also injured during the attack. Schutz was uninjured, according to police.

Schutz emphasized the “horrific and heartbreaking tragedy” is more than just a story for those who are living it and requested privacy as she navigates the aftermath.

“The pain of this loss I will carry with me forever. There are no words for this unimaginable reality we are facing. My focus is on these families, our team, our school, and my own healing,” she said.

The father who helped stop the attack, Kaylub Giamanco, was carrying a legally secured .40-caliber pistol when he saw the gunman and followed him into the school.

In an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting , Giamanco said he was grateful to Schutz – whose name he still did not know at the time – for her brave action in the moments before he shot the gunman.

“I would love to give her a hug because that’s a real true hero,” he said.

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook expressed gratitude for both Giamanco and Schutz after the shooting.

“I believe your actions saved lives,” Cook said.

Now the community faces the daunting task of returning to normal life in a setting marred by inexplicable violence.

While other schools in the Bend-La Pine district returned to learning the week following the shooting, Silver Rail Elementary remains closed through November 6, pending repairs to the areas impacted by the shooting.

She survived a school shooting. Now her children have, too

“With an overwhelming 86.2% of families indicating a preference to return to Silver Rail Elementary, we plan to reopen Silver Rail for students and families who feel ready to return,” the district said in a statement last week.

A police officer was present at each school in the district the day they reopened, and a team of eight school resource officers will continue to rotate between the schools, Bend-La Pine Schools said.

A community meeting is planned for November 5, where school officials will take questions about the shooting, school safety and reopening plans.

本德-拉派恩学校

上个月，俄勒冈州本德市发生校园枪击案，一名教师迅速采取行动制止了枪手，被誉为英雄。随着社区准备让孩子们重返校园，她也开始讲述自己的经历。

“这一切发生得太快了，我真心希望我们能有更多的时间，”银轨小学认证学习专家卡西迪·舒茨周五在一份声明中说。

图片由俄勒冈公共广播公司提供

“我必须进去，”本德校园枪击案的英雄告诉911调度员，“有人要死了。”

枪击事件发生后，本德警察局长迈克·克兰茨描述了一位不愿透露姓名的老师的“英勇行为”，他阻止了枪手在特殊教育教室开枪，造成三名学生和一名老师死亡。

克兰茨说，她将手机扔向持枪歹徒，并扑倒他试图夺走枪支，但随后学校的一名家长开枪将其击毙。

局长说，她的迅速行动“几乎肯定有助于防止更多流血事件发生”。

悲剧发生一周多后，舒茨站出来，通过本德-拉派恩学区发表声明，就此事作出回应。

Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images

“10月15日发生的事件让我感到无比悲痛，难以用语言形容，”舒茨在声明中说。“我向遇难者、他们的家人、受伤者以及当天在场的所有人致以最深切的慰问。我的心与你们同在。”

袭击中还有另一名学生和一名教师受伤。据警方称，舒茨本人并未受伤。

舒茨强调，这场“可怕而令人心碎的悲剧”对于亲历者来说不仅仅是一个故事，她请求外界尊重她的隐私，让她能够应对悲剧的后续影响。

“我将永远背负这份失去亲人的痛苦。我们正面临着难以想象的现实，任何语言都无法形容。我现在的重心是这些家庭、我们的团队、我们的学校，以及我自己的疗愈，”她说。

帮助阻止袭击的父亲凯鲁布·贾曼科当时携带了一把合法保管的.40口径手枪，他看到枪手后便跟着他进了学校。

在接受俄勒冈州公共广播电台采访时，贾曼科表示，他很感激舒茨（当时他还不知道她的名字）在他开枪射杀枪手之前的勇敢行动。

“我很想给她一个拥抱，因为她是一位真正的英雄，”他说。

枪击事件发生后，本德-拉派恩学区总监史蒂文·库克对贾曼科和舒茨都表示了感谢。

库克说：“我相信你的行为拯救了生命。”

如今，这个社区面临着一项艰巨的任务：在充斥着无法解释的暴力事件的环境中恢复正常生活。

在枪击事件发生后的一周，本德-拉派恩学区的其他学校已经恢复上课，但银轨小学仍将关闭至 11 月 6 日，等待对枪击事件影响区域的修复工作。

她曾是校园枪击案的幸存者。现在她的孩子们也幸存了下来。

“由于 86.2% 的家庭表示更愿意返回银轨小学，我们计划重新开放银轨小学，供那些准备好返校的学生和家庭使用，”该学区上周在一份声明中表示。

本德-拉派恩学区表示，在学校重新开放的当天，学区内每所学校都安排了一名警官在场，一支由八名学校资源警官组成的队伍将继续在各学校之间轮换执勤。

学校计划于 11 月 5 日召开社区会议，届时学校官员将回答有关枪击事件、校园安全和复课计划的问题。