Teen kills 3 children and teacher in mass shooting at Oregon elementary school

Three children and a teacher were killed after a 16-year-old forced his way through locked doors at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore., on Thursday. 

The children were 5, 8 and 11 years old, Bend Police Department Chief Mike Krantz said during a press conference Thursday evening. 

The suspect was shot and killed in the school by a member of the community who saw the suspect enter the building and pursued him, Krantz said. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek praised the bystander for “heroically” intervening and stopping further loss of life.

“Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well,” Gov. Kotek said.

A 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were also sent to a hospital with critical injuries.

Krantz did not say what kind of gun the suspect used, although a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting told The Associated Press it was a pump-action shotgun. Police did not release the names of the victims or the shooter.

What we know

Deschutes County Dispatch received reports of an active shooter at 12:59 p.m. local time, from a person in a vehicle outside the school who said they had been shot at multiple times by someone with a long gun, according to Krantz.

The suspect entered the school after shooting through locked doors. Law enforcement officers were alerted at 1 p.m. and the school went into lockdown at 1.01 p.m.

Officers arrived at the scene at 1.02 p.m. and, moments later, an officer reported that a suspect had been shot by the community member.

“Our hearts are broken,” said Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler during the press conference. “A school should be a safe place where children can learn and feel secure. What happened today should never happen.”

“We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy,” Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook wrote in a statement. “We extend our deepest sympathy to the families and to everyone affected by this violence. No words can adequately express the grief our community is experiencing. Our immediate priorities are caring for our students and staff and assisting law enforcement and emergency responders.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency was on the scene assisting in the investigation.

Bend-La Pine Schools said it had set up a family reunification site at a nearby church, and that all of its schools would be closed on Friday and any activities and athletic events would be canceled.

“All Oregonians mourn this loss today,” said Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek. “This is a horrible day. No parent should have to have this kind of day and no community should have to live through this kind of day. We are going to do a lot of crying. We are going to cry together and we’re probably going to cry privately.”

Police did not say if the shooter attended the school or knew any of the students.

‘They’re babies’

Eyewitnesses described hearing gunshots and seeing police swarm the school..

“I heard what I thought was gunshots,” Erin Johnson, who was visiting her parents next door to the school, told local media organization Oregon Public Broadcasting. “Then my neighbor began to scream shortly thereafter — her kids go to school there, at Silver Rail. Then I heard the police coming in. 

“It’s heartbreaking. I don’t know any details right now about who was injured. But they’re babies.”

Krista Johnson told OregonLive she saw police swarm the school. “So many people stopping what they were doing,” she said. “I knew that something had happened.” 

Thousands attended a vigil at Bend’s Drake Park on Thursday night, many carrying candles, flowers and stuffed toys, according to OregonLive. “There is power and love in this park tonight,” Gov. Kotek said. “On behalf of everyone who lives in Oregon, I am so sorry for what you are experiencing today. No parent, no family, no community should have to have this kind of day.”