The Bend, Oregon, police chief identified the shooter as a 16-year-old who was killed by a passerby at school.
At least four people were killed in a shooting at an elementary school in Oregon, in the northwest of the United States, according to local law enforcement.
Thursday’s shooting took place at Silver Rail Elementary School in the city of Bend, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Portland.
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Three children were among the dead: ages five, eight and 11, according to Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz. A teacher was also killed.
Additionally, a seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were transported to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend with serious injuries.
At an afternoon news conference, Krantz identified the suspected shooter as a 16-year-old Bend resident who was killed at the scene. The suspect has not yet been named.
“What the initial investigation shows is that the shooter forced his way into the school by shooting at locked doors,” Krantz said. He said investigators were still determining whether the suspect had attended the school at any point.
Emergency services began receiving calls for help around 12:59 p.m. local time (1959 GMT), with “dozens” of additional calls in the minutes that followed.
The first call, Krantz said, came from “a person in a vehicle who reported being shot multiple times by someone with a long gun.” The primary school was closed at 1:01 p.m. (20:01 GMT) and police arrived at the scene shortly after.
“Moments later, a police officer reported that a suspect had been shot by a community member who saw him enter the school, chased him to the school and engaged him,” Krantz said.
“Our officers entered the building and confirmed the suspect was dead. They evacuated the school to ensure there were no additional threats and then provided emergency aid to the victims.”
He stressed that the police investigation was ongoing and more information would be made public in the coming days.
The families of the victims were notified of the attack. Police evacuated every room of the school, and students and staff were bused to a nearby church where they could reunite with their loved ones.
“This is the kind of thing we never want to see happen in Bend. It’s devastating,” Sheila Miller, communications manager for the Bend Police Department, said Thursday.
Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said in a social media post that the agency was on scene to assist local law enforcement in the investigation.
“We will make available to them all the resources they need,” he wrote.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek called on Oregonians to come together to support each other as they grieve.
“Every Oregonian is mourning this loss today. It’s a horrible day. No parent should have to experience this kind of day, and no community should have to experience this kind of day,” Kotek said.
She also addressed the anonymous bystander who confronted the shooter. “To the community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life, your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well. »
Jeff Merkley, who represents Oregon in the U.S. Senate, was among the political leaders to offer condolences following the shooting.
“My heart goes out to the Bend community and all the students and families involved. No one should have to fear school violence,” he wrote in a post on the social media platform X.
The Gun Violence Archive, which tracks shootings across the United States, has documented 369 mass shootings so far in 2026, defined as incidents in which four or more victims were injured or killed, not including the suspect.
The violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety has counted at least 100 incidents of shootings on school grounds in the United States this year. Thirty-four people died.
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