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We now know the name of the educator who tackled the Silver Rail Elementary School shooter and fought to take away his shotgun.
Cassidy Schutz, a certified learning specialist at the Bend, Oregon, school, was identified by Bend-La Pine Schools nearly two weeks after the Oct. 15 attack.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz previously told reporters that Schutz threw her cellphone at the 16-year-old attacker, tackled him and wrestled for control of his firearm.
“She was not injured in that incident, but she almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed,” Krantz said.
The teenager had reportedly shot through the windows of the school’s locked entrance before entering a special-needs classroom and firing as many as 15 rounds from a 12-gauge shotgun.
Three children and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert were killed. Another student and teacher Becky Drury were wounded.
As Schutz fought the gunman, 36-year-old Kaylub Giamanco followed him into the school. Giamanco, whose two daughters attended Silver Rail, retrieved his legally secured .40-caliber pistol and fatally shot the attacker inside the classroom.
Giamanco later credited the still-unidentified educator with creating the opportunity that allowed him to stop the attack.
“I would love to give her a hug because that’s a real true hero,” he told Oregon Public Broadcasting.
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Schutz has now released her first public statement through the school district.
“This is not a story,” she said. “This is a horrific and heartbreaking tragedy, and it is our real lives.”
Schutz said her thoughts remain with those who were killed, their families, the wounded and everyone who experienced the attack.
“It all happened so fast, and I wish with everything in me that we had more time,” she added. “The pain of this loss I will carry with me forever.”
Before becoming an educator, Schutz played four seasons of college basketball at Linfield University and later served as an assistant coach. She was a starting point guard, team captain and graduated with a degree in education.
Schutz has asked for privacy and said she does not plan to make additional public statements.
What happened inside that classroom was a team effort under unimaginable pressure. Schutz attacked the gunman with nothing more than a cellphone and her bare hands. Giamanco entered with a firearm and ended the threat.
Both moved toward danger when lives depended on it. And their actions almost certainly prevented an already horrific attack from becoming even worse.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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