Man who stopped the Oregon elementary school shooter has 2 daughters at the school, his mom says

Police haven’t publicly identified the teen gunman or member of the public who shot him, only saying that the gunman was found dead inside the building minutes after the school shooting was first reported.

Trump says the shooting could have been much worse

President Donald Trump on Friday praised the actions of a “great hero” who he said “took care of business.”

“It’s a terrible thing, but thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding the tragedy likely would have been much worse.

At a news conference hours after Thursday’s attack, Gov. Tina Kotek — without naming Giamanco — said he had followed the gunman into the school and helped end the rampage as police began arriving.

“Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well,” said Kotek.

Memorials with flowers, balloons and stuffed animals popped up around the school, which sits in a densely packed neighborhood filled with newly built homes.

Brooke Olsen, whose daughter is a kindergartner at Silver Rail, said she was amazed that someone pursued the shooter.

“I think it’s miraculous that someone was there before law enforcement even arrived to stop further tragedy from happening,” Olsen said Friday, weeping at times. “I’m feeling very grateful.”

The attacker’s mom bought the gun he used

The 16-year-old suspect, identified only as a Bend resident, was found dead in the school minutes after the first calls for help, Police Chief Mike Krantz said. He shot through locked doors to get inside, police said.

The children who were killed were ages 5, 8 and 11, Krantz said. Authorities didn’t give details about the teacher who was killed. Another 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were wounded and were taken to a hospital in critical condition, he said Thursday.

The attacker used a pump-action shotgun bought by his mother, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.

Under Oregon law, a minor may possess a shotgun if provided by a parent or by someone else with the parent’s consent.

Police said they didn’t know if the shooter knew anyone at the school or if he had attended it.

Police respond within minutes

The first 911 call came early in the afternoon from someone outside the school who reported being shot at by someone with a long gun, the police chief said. More 911 calls came from inside the school, police spokesperson Sheila Miller said.

The attacker was shot and went down inside the school shortly after officers arrived, she said.

The school has students in kindergarten through fifth grade, with about 450 enrolled last year, according to the Oregon Department of Education.

Classes and all other activities were canceled Friday for schools across Bend, a tourism and outdoor recreation hub that has ballooned in population and sits about 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Portland.

The shooting was the 28th mass killing in the U.S. this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

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Durkin and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City, Gene Johnson in Seattle, Ed White in Detroit, Philip Marcelo in New York and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.

Haven Daley, Alanna Durkin Richer And Eric Tucker, The Associated Press

by The Canadian Press

Man who stopped the Oregon elementary school shooter has 2 daughters at the school, his mom says

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