Three children and a teacher were killed and two others— a seven‑year‑old student and another teacher—were critically injured in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday afternoon. Police reported that a 16‑year‑old suspect was fatally shot by an armed bystander.
During a news conference, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said authorities received a 911 call from a driver who reported being shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun. Within minutes, dozens of calls poured in that a shooter had entered the school. A tone alert was sent to law‑enforcement officers at 1:00 p.m., and the school went into lockdown one minute later.
Krantz explained that a community member saw the suspect, followed him into the building, and engaged him in gunfire, fatally wounding the suspect. Officers on the scene recovered the bodies of three children—ages five, eight and eleven—along with a teacher. A seven‑year‑old student and a second teacher were taken to a hospital in critical condition. No names have been released for the victims, the shooter, or the bystander who stopped him, and families have been notified.
“Please know that we are working hard to ensure that we conduct a thorough investigation,” Krantz said. “This is a time that we know this deeply impacts the community. We ask everyone to lean on each other and be there for each other.”
Governor Tina Kotek also addressed the community, urging unity in grief. “There is going to be time for answering all those questions we all have right now, and searching for more ways to prevent this from happening in the future,” she said. “But for now, let’s hold each other close in grief and put as much love into the world as possible.”