Three children aged 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher were killed when a 16-year-old gunman forced his way into Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday afternoon, according to police. The teen shooter was killed by an armed community member before responding officers arrived at the scene.
- Three children (ages 5, 8 and 11) and a teacher were killed; a 7-year-old and another teacher were critically injured.
- The 16-year-old shooter fired his way through locked doors and was stopped by a bystander, Bend police said.
- The attack began just after 1 p.m. local time on October 15; Silver Rail Elementary serves more than 400 students.
- The FBI is assisting the investigation; all Bend-La Pine Schools are closed on Friday.
What happened at Silver Rail Elementary School?
Police said the first 911 call came in at 12:59 p.m. local time, reporting a man firing into a car near the school. Within a minute, more callers reported that an armed teenager had entered Silver Rail Elementary and begun shooting, according to Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz.
The gunman carried a long gun and shot his way through locked doors, Chief Krantz said at an evening news conference. Police do not yet know how far he reached inside the building, and they have not identified him or established any connection to the school.
A community member who saw the teenager entering the school at about 1 p.m. followed him inside and exchanged gunfire with him, killing the shooter before responding officers reached the scene, according to the police chief.
Beyond the four killed, a 7-year-old child and another teacher were taken to hospital with critical injuries, officials said. The district set up a reunification center at a nearby church where students were brought to their families, and all Bend-La Pine Schools, including sports and activities, are closed on Friday.
Community reacts to the Bend school shooting
Hundreds of parents gathered outside the school on Thursday afternoon, waiting for news as students were evacuated. Silver Rail Elementary enrolls more than 400 students from kindergarten through fifth grade, and serves families in the city of about 100,000 people in central Oregon.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said in a statement that no community should have to live through such a day, and praised the bystander who confronted the shooter. The FBI is assisting local authorities with the investigation, according to FBI Director Kash Patel. The shooting comes amid a violent stretch in the United States, where President Trump cancelled plans to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter earlier this month.
Latest in a year of school shootings
According to CNN’s analysis of data from the Gun Violence Archive, Education Week and Everytown for Gun Safety, the Bend attack marks the 36th shooting on K-12 school grounds in the United States this year. USA Today reported it as the 28th mass killing of the year, citing the Associated Press/USA Today/Northeastern University mass killing database.
Sources: CNN, USA Today, The Times, CBS News.
