Staffer Cassidy Schutz, Who Tackled Oregon School Shooter, Speaks Out for First Time

A staffer who helped stop a gun attack at an elementary school in the US state of Oregon spoke out for the first time on Friday. School officials identified her as Cassidy Schutz, a learning specialist at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend.

In a statement released by Bend-La Pine Schools, Schutz said: 'It all happened so fast, and I wish with everything in me that we had more time.' She said she would carry the pain of this loss forever.

According to police, the 15 October shooting unfolded inside a special needs classroom. The gunman fatally shot three students and a teacher. Another student and a teacher were injured. Police had previously said Schutz was unharmed.

The district confirmed that Schutz threw her phone at the shooter and tackled him. A parent who had followed the gunman into the school then fatally shot the 16-year-old attacker.

At a briefing the day after the shooting, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz commended the staffer. Without naming her at the time, he said that after throwing her phone she 'tackled him and fought to take the firearm from him', in an act that 'almost certainly helped prevent more bloodshed'.

In her statement, Schutz said: '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.'

She added: '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.'

Kaylub Giamanco, the father of two who fatally shot the gunman, also expressed gratitude to Schutz. He told Oregon Public Broadcasting last week that she gave him the chance to act without getting hurt himself, saying: 'I would love to give her a hug because that's a real true hero.'