Dad who stopped Oregon school shooter recalls terrifying moment he decided to intervene

The dad who killed an Oregon school shooter has recalled the moment he heard children pleading for help after being hailed a 'hero' by the president.

The tragic shooting, which unfolded on school picture day at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, claimed the lives of three children and one teacher, Megan Lambert, 25.

And just weeks on, Kaylub Giamanco, the 'hero' dad with two children at the school, has recalled the moment he 'had to act quickly'.

The perpetrator was later identified as 16-year-old Griffin J. John, who was killed at the scene by Giamanco, who drew a handgun he 'rarely used'.

"I just was in full panic, like, 'No, there’s children, there’s babies in there', I told my Siri to call 911," he said, speaking with Oregon Public Broadcasting.

"I said, 'I’m sorry, I have to go in. People are going to die'."

The dad of two followed the shooter in the school while remaining concealed from his sight, as Giamanco noted: "I knew that he did not know that I was there.

Four lives were lost during the attack. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)

"That’s when I started hearing children pleading for their lives and then I started hearing gunfire and I just started army crawling faster and faster and I told myself this is probably the last thing that I’m ever going to do."

After witnessing the gunman struggle with a teacher before firing his weapon twice, the ‘hero’ swung open the classroom door and fatally shot the attacker.

"I looked at him and I shot him two more times to make sure that he couldn’t move because I was afraid of him shooting anybody else."

Giamanco noted that another teacher had fled in fear that he was part of the violent attack.

The dad-of-two has been called a 'hero' by President Trump, who thanked him for his brave action. (PBSNewsHour⁩/YouTube)

Reflecting on the heroic action he took, the dad said: "I’ve always wanted to change the world, but I’ve felt small.

"I’m just a carpenter from Bend, Oregon. I was a nobody other than to my friends and family. I feel like if I’m going to have a voice, then I’ll be damned if I’m not going to use it to change this world, to make it a better place."

Despite his brave and selfless act, Giamanco went onto apologise to the families of the children he could not save.

"The gratitude for saving people's children is awesome, but there were ones that I didn't save."

"I relive, I see faces, I hear voices, I hear screams," he said.