A 16-year-old suspected gunman armed with a shotgun was killed during a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, after at least four people, including three children, were reported dead.
Two law-enforcement officials told the Associated Press that authorities believed at least five people had been killed. It was not immediately clear whether the suspected attacker was included in that figure.
Bend police said they received the first emergency call at 12.59pm local time on Thursday, reporting that a man had fired into a car outside the school. Further 911 calls then reported that someone had entered the building and begun shooting.
Officers arrived at about 1.02pm. Sheila Miller, a Bend Police communications manager, said the suspect was reported down within seconds of their arrival.
What is known about the Silver Rail Elementary shooting
Federal law-enforcement sources told Fox News that the alleged shooter was 16 and had been carrying a shotgun. They said he was shot by an armed bystander with a concealed-carry permit, although police have not confirmed who killed him.
Police said children were among the victims. At least two people were taken to hospital, while the precise number and severity of the injuries remained unclear as investigators continued to search the school.
Silver Rail Elementary was placed under lockdown and hundreds of officers responded to the scene. Families were directed to a reunification centre at Journey Church, about 160 kilometres south-east of Portland.
The Bend-La Pine school district said all schools, activities and sports events would be cancelled on Friday, October 16, following the shooting.
The suspect had not been publicly identified. Investigators were also working to establish the final death toll and the circumstances in which the attacker was shot.
Silver Rail Elementary serves pupils from kindergarten through fifth grade and had 459 enrolled students last year, according to the Oregon Department of Education.
