Three children and a teacher were killed in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, October 15, police said. Two other people—a child and a teacher—were critically injured and taken to hospital.
Authorities identified the suspected shooter as a 16-year-old Bend resident. Police said the suspect was also dead following the incident, which prompted an emergency response and a major effort to evacuate students and reunite children with their families.
Children aged 5, 8 and 11 among the victims
According to information released by Bend police, the three children who died were aged 5, 8 and 11. Police Chief Mike Krantz said another child, aged 7, and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to St. Charles Bend hospital with critical injuries.
The school serves children from kindergarten through fifth grade and had approximately 459 enrolled students, according to figures cited by the Associated Press.
The deaths have left families and the wider community grieving as investigators work to establish the full circumstances of the attack.
How the shooting unfolded
Police received an emergency call at approximately 12:59 p.m. local time on Thursday. The caller, who was in a vehicle outside the school, reported being shot at by a person carrying a long gun, according to the police chief.
Additional emergency calls soon reported that someone had entered the school and begun shooting.
Authorities said the suspect forced entry by firing at locked doors. Police officers arrived within minutes and found that the shooter had been fatally shot.
According to police statements reported by Reuters and the Associated Press, a community member who saw the suspect enter the school pursued the attacker and intervened. Officials praised the intervention, although investigators were still examining the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Investigation underway
Police have not publicly established whether the suspect had previously attended Silver Rail Elementary School or had another connection to the school. Authorities are investigating the circumstances leading up to the shooting.
The incident also triggered a large response from emergency services as officers worked through the building and students were evacuated. Parents and relatives gathered at a designated reunification centre to locate their children.
The Bend-La Pine Schools district announced that classes across the district would be cancelled on Friday as the community dealt with the aftermath.
Oregon officials express grief
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek expressed sorrow over the deaths and acknowledged the impact on the victims’ families, school staff and the wider Bend community. Local education officials said their immediate priorities were supporting students and staff and assisting law enforcement.
The shooting has renewed attention on school safety and the lasting consequences of gun violence in the United States. Investigators have yet to provide a complete account of the suspect’s motives.
As authorities continue their investigation, families are mourning the children and teacher who died, while the injured remain under medical care.
