Four people, including three children, were killed in a shooting at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, October 15, after a 16-year-old suspect opened fire inside the campus, authorities said.
The victims were children aged five, eight and 11, along with a teacher, according to Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz. A seven-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher were also critically injured and taken to a hospital.
The teenage suspect was shot dead by an armed community member who reportedly followed the shooter into the school after seeing the suspect enter the premises, police said. Authorities did not immediately release the suspect's identity or further details about the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Investigators said the gunman forced entry by firing through locked doors.
Police received the first emergency call at around 1 p.m. local time after reports that someone had fired shots into a vehicle at Silver Rail Elementary School. Additional calls soon followed, reporting that a person had entered the school and begun shooting.
Officers arrived within three minutes and found the suspect dead, authorities said.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the community member who intervened, saying the person's actions helped prevent further loss of life.
Speaking at a news conference alongside police officials, Kotek expressed sympathy for the victims, their families and the wider community, describing the tragedy as a day no parent or community should have to endure.
Silver Rail Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade and has approximately 450 students and 40 staff members.
Bend, a city of about 100,000 people in central Oregon, is located roughly 280 kilometers southeast of Portland, near the Deschutes National Forest.
Authorities have not released further details about the motive for the shooting as the investigation continues.
