Teen shooter kills three children and a teacher at Oregon elementary school

A 16-year-old opened fire at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, killing three children and one teacher before being fatally shot by a bystander, officials said.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz stated that the victims included three children aged five, eight, and eleven, as well as a teacher. A seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were also injured in the shooting and transported to the hospital with critical wounds.

The gunman, a resident of the city, was tackled by a teacher and killed by an armed bystander who saw him enter the school and pursued him inside, Krantz said. The shooting was reported to police at approximately 1:00 p.m. local time, and officers arrived on the scene two minutes later, finding the suspect already dead.

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said the district has invested in school safety measures, including secure entries, door locks, fencing, security cameras, and lockdown drills. Cook noted that Silver Rail Elementary practiced a lockdown drill about two weeks prior to the incident. He added that the district replaced every door lock in its schools so that the locks are visible within the classroom and do not require exiting the room to secure the door.

Although the district operates a school resource officer program, no officer was present at Silver Rail Elementary at the time of the shooting, according to Bend Police. Sheila Miller, the communications manager for the Bend Police Department, explained that the school resource officer oversees six or seven schools and was at a nearby location when the incident occurred.

The investigation into the motive for the shooting is ongoing, as is the inquiry into how the gunman obtained the weapon and ammunition. Police collected evidence and executed a search warrant at the gunman's home, and interviews are continuing. Approximately 150 law enforcement and first responder personnel have been involved in the investigation.