3 children, 1 teacher killed in shooting at Bend, Oregon, elementary school, police say; suspect dead

Three children and a teacher were killed, and two others critically wounded, in a shooting on Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, authorities said. 

The suspect, a 16-year-old male, was shot and killed by a bystander, Bend police said.

Along with the teacher, the three children killed were ages 5, 8 and 11, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said in a news conference Thursday night. Two others, a 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher, were taken to St. Charles Medical Center with critical injuries. No names were immediately released. 

Krantz said that officers were called to the school just before 1 p.m. on a 911 call from a person who said they had been shot at several times while in their vehicle by a suspect with a long gun. Emergency dispatchers then received dozens of 911 calls that the suspect had entered the school. 

The shooter forced his way into the school by “shooting at locked doors,” Krantz said.  

When officers arrived at the school within three minutes of the first 911 call, they discovered that the suspect had been killed by a bystander, Krantz said. 

“An officer reported that the suspect had been shot by a community member who had seen the suspect enter the school and pursued him into the school and engaged him,” Krantz told reporters. 

After officers entered the building, Krantz said, they found the four deceased victims.

Officials would not say exactly what type of weapon was used in the attack or how many rounds were fired. Multiple law enforcement sources told CBS News the suspect used a shotgun. 

There was no word on a motive. Police could also not say if the suspect had a connection to the school. No details were provided on the bystander who shot and killed the suspect. 

Authorities evacuated the school and transported all students and staff to a nearby church where they could be reunited with their families, Krantz said. 

“Today an unthinkable tragedy happened at Silver Rail Elementary School,” Bend-La Pine Superintendent Steven Cook said in the news conference. “No community should have to do what we are doing right now. I don’t have any words for what this community is feeling right now.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency’s local office was on scene and assisting local law enforcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was also on scene to assist local authorities, including the Oregon State Police, a law enforcement source said.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek praised the bystander who “heroically intervened to stop further loss of life,” saying the person’s actions carry “a heavy emotional burden.”

“All Oregonians mourn this loss today,” Kotek said in the news briefing. “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.”

Bend-La Pine Schools said that all schools in the district would be canceling classes and athletic events on Friday due to the shooting.  

Bend is located in central Oregon, about 150 miles southeast of Portland. 

Last year there were 235 shooting incidents at K-12 schools in the U.S., according to data from the K-12 School Shooting Database. So far this year, there have been at least 149, including the one in Bend, Oregon. While still higher than pre-pandemic levels, school shooting incidents appear to be decreasing from a peak in 2023.