Oregon Elementary School Shooting Leaves 3 Children and a Teacher Dead as Bystander Stops Teen Gunman

A 16-year-old gunman killed three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday afternoon. A community member then shot him dead, police said. The victims included children aged 5, 8 and 11, and two more people remain in critical condition.

Police have not named the suspect, a local resident, or released the identities of the victims. They also have not said whether the teenager had any link to the school, which serves children from kindergarten through fifth grade.

How the Attack Unfolded

Police received the first alert about an active shooter at 12:59 p.m. local time, according to Bend Police Department spokeswoman Sheila Miller. The first caller reported that an unknown suspect was shooting into their car with a long gun. Photos from the scene show a red truck with bullet holes.

According to a report from the Bend Source, the teenager was heading toward the school just before 1 p.m. when a man driving a red Toyota Tacoma in the parking lot spotted him. The driver confronted the boy, who opened fire, shattering the rear window and leaving at least six large bullet holes in the pickup. The driver then called dispatchers to report that he had been:

“shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun.”

The report says the boy then threw his weapon over a fence and jumped onto school property. He picked the weapon back up and fired several shots at the door locks to break into the building. Minutes later, county dispatchers received 911 calls reporting that the attacker had entered the school.

Local media reports suggest the school installed new classroom doors in 2022 that lock with the flip of a switch. Staff placed the school on lockdown, and police set up a reunification point for student families.

The Bystander Who Intervened

A bystander watched the shooting begin, followed the attacker into the school and shot him dead, police said. Officers arrived three minutes later, confirmed the attacker was dead and searched the building. Police Chief Mike Krantz described the sequence at a Thursday press conference.

The boy was “shot by a community member who had seen [him] enter the school, pursued him into the school, and engaged him,” Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz told reporters at a press conference Thursday.

Authorities have not said whether the bystander held a concealed weapons permit. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the bystander, who she said “heroically intervened” to stop further loss of life.

Weapon and Oregon Gun Laws

A law enforcement source speaking anonymously told the Associated Press that the weapon was a pump-action shotgun the teen’s mother had bought. Another source briefed on the shooting also said the boy’s mother purchased the gun. Authorities have not said whether the teenager had permission to use it.

Oregon law requires a person to be 18 to buy rifles and shotguns and 21 to buy a handgun. Minors can possess non-handgun weapons if they have parental consent. The Bend-La Pine school district had previously banned everyone, including people with concealed weapons licenses, from carrying firearms on district property.

Two Victims Remain Critical

Emergency crews took a 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher to a hospital in critical condition. A large crowd of parents and community members gathered outside the school while they waited for updates. Police vehicles, ambulances and a fire truck filled the area.

FBI Director Kash Patel said agents were on the scene and assisting the investigation.

“We will make every resource they need available,” he said on X.

A Community in Mourning

Superintendent Steven Cook of Bend-La Pine Schools addressed reporters in an emotional statement. He said the district felt shock and grief over the shooting.

“We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy,” said Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook 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.”

Hundreds of people attended a candlelit vigil in Bend on Thursday evening, sharing songs and prayers. Mourners wrote messages such as “never again” and “be at peace” in chalk on the ground, beside flowers and candles. City officials scheduled another news conference at 5:30 p.m. local time at the City Council Chamber.

A Familiar and Painful Pattern

According to a CNN analysis of data from the Gun Violence Archive, Education Week and Everytown for Gun Safety, the Silver Rail Elementary attack is the 36th shooting on K-12 school grounds this year. Swarms of police officers and ambulances racing to a school ravaged by gunfire have become a familiar scene. That scene marks only the beginning of incalculable pain, loss and trauma for the families involved.

Investigators continue to work to determine why the teenager attacked the school, whether he knew his victims and whether he had permission to use the shotgun. For now, Bend is mourning four lives lost and waiting for news on two people fighting to survive.