A shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, left four people dead, including three children and a teacher, on Thursday, according to police. A 16-year-old gunman also died after a community member confronted him inside the school, authorities said.
Two other people, including a child and a teacher, were injured in the shooting. Their conditions were not immediately known.
The attack occurred at around 1 p.m. local time, prompting a major response from police and emergency personnel. Authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting, including the gunman’s motive and the identities of the victims.
Police Responded After Reports of Gunfire Near School
According to the Bend Police Department, the first emergency call reported that a man had fired shots into a car near the school. Dispatchers subsequently received multiple calls reporting that someone had entered the building and begun shooting.
Police officers arrived within seconds and found the gunman dead from a gunshot wound, Police Chief Mike Krantz said.
Krantz said a community member had followed the teenager into the school and confronted him with gunfire, killing him before responding officers arrived, CNN reported.
CNN, citing police officials, reported that the children who died were aged five, eight and 11. A seven-year-old child and another teacher were among the injured and were taken to a hospital.
Authorities had not publicly established a motive for the attack in the information available at the time of reporting.
Silver Rail Elementary School Placed Under Lockdown
Silver Rail Elementary School serves students from kindergarten through fifth grade, generally ages five to 11. According to Reuters, citing Miller, the school has approximately 450 students and 40 staff members.
Following the shooting, the school was placed under lockdown while authorities secured the area and coordinated the response.
Officials also established a reunification centre at a nearby church to help students reconnect with their families. School buses carrying students and staff members were later seen arriving at the centre, CNN reported.
The Bend-La Pine Schools district announced that all schools would remain closed on Friday. School activities and sporting events were also cancelled.
FBI Assists Local Authorities in Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it was assisting local authorities with the investigation.
FBI Director Kash Patel said federal agents were at the scene and that the agency would make the necessary resources available to investigators.
Authorities had not announced a motive for the shooting in the information provided for this report. The investigation was ongoing, with officials working to establish the sequence of events and gather further details.
Oregon Governor and Community Leaders Respond
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek expressed grief over the shooting and urged residents to support those affected by the tragedy.
“As we learn more about the tragic event at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend today, we must come together and support each other, neighbour to neighbour, Oregonian to Oregonian,” Kotek said in a statement. “No community should have to live through this day.”
Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook also offered condolences to the victims’ families and the school community.
“We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy,” Cook said, adding that the community was grieving and that words could not adequately express the pain caused by the violence.
Former Bend Mayor Jeff Eager told CNN that the shooting had shocked the community, describing the attack as “unimaginable.”
Eager said many people had chosen to move to Bend because of its reputation as a relatively safe place to live and raise children.
US Senator Ron Wyden also expressed solidarity with the victims and their families, renewing calls for action to address gun violence.
As the investigation continued, the community faced the immediate aftermath of the attack, including the loss of children and a teacher, injuries to survivors, and the disruption of school activities.