Teen gunman kills three children, teacher at Oregon elementary school

A 16-year-old Bend resident armed with a long gun forced his way into Silver Rail Elementary School around 1 p.m. Thursday, shooting at locked doors before entering the building. Three children aged 5, 8, and 11, and one teacher were killed, while a 7-year-old child and another teacher were hospitalized with injuries.

A community member who witnessed the teenager entering the school followed him inside and engaged him in gunfire, killing the shooter before police arrived on scene. Officers reached the school by 1:02 p.m. and conducted a room-by-room evacuation of the roughly 400 to 450 students and 40-plus staff members.

“This is the kind of thing we never want to see happen in Bend. And our hearts go out to this community, and we ask our community to really work together and come together at this time.”

The first 911 call reported shots fired into a vehicle near the school at 12:59 p.m., followed by multiple calls reporting an active shooter inside the building. Police have not identified the gunman or established a motive, and it remains unclear whether he had any connection to the school.

FBI agents from the Portland bureau are assisting local police with the ongoing investigation. Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said the district is "stunned and heartbroken" and extended sympathy to affected families. Families were directed to a reunification center at nearby Journey Church.