Three children and a teacher were killed in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, with a further child and teacher injured, police said.
The suspected gunman, a 16-year-old local resident armed with a long gun, was also killed after being pursued into the school by an armed community member with a concealed-carry permit, according to authorities and federal law enforcement sources.
The children who died were aged five, eight and 11. The two injured victims were taken to St Charles Bend hospital, although their conditions were not immediately known.
What happened at Silver Rail Elementary School
Bend Police received the first emergency call at about 12.59pm local time after a report that someone had fired at a car outside the school.
Within a minute, further 911 calls reported that a person had entered the building and begun shooting. Officers arrived at about 1.02pm and were told shortly afterwards that the suspect had been shot inside the school.
Police said the attacker had forced entry by shooting at locked doors. Investigators had not immediately confirmed how far inside the building the suspect travelled.
The school was evacuated classroom by classroom, while pupils were taken by bus to Journey Church, where families were instructed to meet them. Authorities urged people to avoid the area as a large emergency response remained in place.
Silver Rail Elementary serves children from kindergarten through fifth grade and had 459 pupils enrolled last year, according to the Oregon Department of Education.
All schools in the Bend-La Pine district, along with activities and sporting events, were cancelled for Friday, October 16.
Steven Cook, the district’s superintendent, said the community was “stunned and heartbroken” by what he described as a senseless tragedy, adding that the immediate priority was caring for pupils and staff while assisting investigators and emergency responders.
The suspect’s identity had not been publicly released. The investigation remains under way.
