Three children and a teacher were killed Thursday when a 16-year-old opened fire at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, according to the Associated Press. The teen suspect is dead after a community member who pursued him into the building shot him, NBC News reported.
The children killed were ages 5, 8, and 11, according to NBC News. A 7-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend with critical injuries.
What Happened at Silver Rail Elementary School
Deschutes County dispatch received a call at 12:59 p.m. local time from someone in a vehicle who said they were being shot at multiple times by a person carrying a long gun, NBC News reported. The suspect then forced his way into the school by firing through its locked doors around 1 p.m. Dispatchers fielded dozens of 911 calls reporting that a shooter had entered the K-5 campus, which enrolls more than 400 students and employs over 40 staff members, according to NBC News.
A community member who saw the suspect enter the building followed him inside and confronted him, fatally shooting the 16-year-old. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the bystander “heroically intervened to stop further loss of life.” The first Bend police officers reached the school at 1:02 p.m., just three minutes after the initial call for help, and found the suspect had already been shot.
What It Means for the Bend Community
Bend-La Pine Schools canceled classes, activities, and athletic events across the entire district for Friday. Superintendent Steven Cook said, “No words can adequately express the grief our community is experiencing.”
Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler called it an awful day for the community, saying a school should be a safe place. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek praised the courage shown by school staff, parents, first responders, and the community member who stopped the attack, according to NBC News.
Background on the Response
The Oregon Department of Emergency Management is coordinating the response across multiple state agencies, with the ATF and FBI assisting local authorities, NBC News reported. Under Oregon law, a person must be 18 to buy a rifle or shotgun and 21 to buy a handgun, and selling firearms to minors is illegal.
The identity of the community member who shot the suspect has not been released, and the names of the victims have not been made public as of Friday.
What’s Next
Bend-La Pine Schools has not announced when classes will resume beyond the Friday cancellation. Investigators with the ATF and FBI continue to assist local police as the response unfolds.
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