Police in Bend, Oregon, say a 16-year-old forced his way into Silver Rail Elementary School by shooting at locked doors and killed three children and a teacher before a community member shot him dead. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz described the sequence at a briefing and said officers arrived three minutes after the bystander engaged the suspect.
Four killed, two critically injured
According to police, the children killed were ages 5, 8, and 11. A 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were hospitalized in critical condition. Authorities did not release the suspect’s name or the identities of the victims.
Timeline: shots at a car, then the school
Bend Police Department spokeswoman Sheila Miller said the first 911 call came at 12:59 p.m. local time from a person reporting an unknown suspect shooting into their car with a long gun. Photos from the scene showed a red truck with bullet holes, police said. Minutes later, dispatchers received calls that the attacker had entered the school by firing at the door locks, Chief Krantz confirmed.
Who stopped the attacker?
Chief Krantz said a community member “pursued him into the school and engaged him,” fatally shooting the suspect. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the bystander who “heroically intervened” to stop further loss of life. Police have not identified the bystander. Audio from Emergency Medical Services dispatch suggests the shooter may have been stopped by a father at the school, but officials have not confirmed that detail.
What remains unknown
Officials said they do not yet know if the attacker had any link to the school. They have not disclosed the weapon type or how many rounds were fired. Multiple law enforcement sources told CBS News the suspect used a shotgun. Local media have reported the school received new classroom doors in 2022 that can lock with a switch.
Community in shock
Hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil in Bend on Thursday, according to the BBC report, with messages such as “never again” and “be at peace.” Steven Cook, the local school district’s top administrator, said, “We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy.” Teacher Kathy Sheil Smith told CNN affiliate KPTV she tried to keep children calm as the gunman approached: “Some kids were praying, some kids were consoling other kids.” A reporter for the Bulletin newspaper said parents were stunned and that students communicated with some parents during lockdown via Apple Watches, the BBC noted.
School closures and context
Officials said Bend schools will be closed Friday. Police said Silver Rail Elementary has about 450 students and more than 40 adult staff members.
According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, there were 235 shooting incidents at U.S. schools last year and at least 140 so far this year. In Oregon, people under 18 cannot buy firearms. The state allows juveniles to possess a firearm with parental permission for limited uses such as hunting. Gun-control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety ranks Oregon 12th out of 50 states for the strictness of its gun laws.
