Three children and a teacher were killed Thursday afternoon when a 16-year-old gunman forced his way into Silver Rail Elementary School in the central Oregon city of Bend, shooting through the building's locked doors to gain entry before a bystander who saw the attack begin pursued him inside and shot him dead, police said. The attack lasted only a few minutes but left the small mountain-town community reeling by nightfall.
The children killed were 5, 8 and 11 years old. A separate 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to hospital in critical condition, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said, with department spokeswoman Sheila Miller confirming further details of the attack. Krantz said investigators were still working to confirm the full scope of the casualties as the inquiry got underway Thursday evening.
Dispatchers received the first 911 call at 12:59 p.m. local time (19:59 GMT) Thursday, reporting that someone was shooting into a car with a long gun near the school. Within minutes, callers told dispatchers the attacker had entered the building itself, according to police.
A bystander who witnessed the shooting begin followed the gunman into the school and killed him before officers could reach the scene. Police arrived roughly three minutes after the first call came in, Krantz said. The conditions of the injured seven-year-old and the teacher remained critical as of Thursday evening.
Officials have credited the bystander's quick action with likely preventing further deaths, though police have not released his name or said whether he held any formal security role at or near the school. Authorities said he was cooperating with investigators and was not expected to face charges.
New doors, old threat
Silver Rail Elementary had new classroom doors installed in 2022, fitted with switch-lockable mechanisms — part of a wave of security upgrades adopted by schools across the country in response to earlier mass shootings. The measures did not stop Thursday's attacker, who police said shot directly at the locked doors to force his way inside the building.
Investigators have not released the gunman's identity or said whether he had any connection to the school, and it remains unclear how he obtained the weapon. Detectives are still working to establish a motive, according to the Guardian's rolling coverage of the attack. Police have also not yet released the names of the victims.
The attack is the latest in a long run of shootings that have targeted American schools despite years of investment in reinforced entryways, lockdown drills and armed campus officers. Thursday's case illustrates the limits of those measures: the gunman did not attempt to slip past security unnoticed but instead used his weapon to breach a door built specifically to keep him out.
A community in shock
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the bystander's intervention, addressing him directly at a briefing on the shooting.
Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek
Steven Cook, the top administrative official of the local school district, said officials were struggling to process the loss. "We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy," Cook said. "No words can adequately express the grief our community is experiencing."
The Bend-La Pine school district said counselors would be made available to students, families and staff in the coming days, and local officials said a community vigil was being organized. The school and the surrounding neighborhood remained part of the active investigation scene into Thursday evening. Police said they expect to release further details, including the identities of the gunman and his victims, as the inquiry continues.
