A 16-year-old gunman killed three children and a teacher at an Oregon elementary school before a bystander shot him dead

A 16-year-old suspect opened fire at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, killing three children aged five, eight, and 11, and a teacher. The suspect was then shot and killed by a bystander who pursued him into the building.

The teenager forced entry by firing at the locked doors of the school with a long gun. Police were alerted to an active shooter at 12:59 local time, or 19:59 GMT, according to Bend Police Department spokeswoman Sheila Miller. The first 911 call came from a person who reported that an unknown suspect was shooting into their car with a long gun; photos released from the scene show a red truck riddled with bullet holes. Minutes later, county dispatch received further 911 calls reporting that the attacker had entered the school.

A bystander saw the shooting begin to unfold, pursued the suspect into the school, and shot him dead, according to Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz. Police said officers arrived at the scene three minutes after the bystander engaged the suspect, confirming that the attacker had been killed before searching the building. Audio recordings of Emergency Medical Services dispatch suggest the bystander was the parent of a pupil. In one recording, a staff member is heard saying, “Looks like the shooter has been neutralised, possibly shot by a father at the school. Not sure about patients at this time, the police are arriving.” Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the bystander, who she said had “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,” Kotek told a media briefing alongside other officials.

The victims and the school

A seven-year-old and a 54-year-old teacher were hospitalized in critical condition. Around 450 children attend Silver Rail Elementary, which police said has more than 40 adult staff members. The suspect was a resident of Bend who has not been identified, and his connection to the school, if any, remains unclear.

A community in mourning

Hundreds of people attended a candlelit vigil in Bend on Thursday evening, gathering to share songs and prayers. Messages including “never again” and “be at peace” were written in chalk on the ground beside flowers and candles. Steven Cook, the top administrative official of the local school district, made an emotional statement to reporters. “We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy,” Cook said. “No words can adequately express the grief our community is experiencing.” Schools in Bend were closed on Friday as officials said the community needed time to heal. According to local newspaper reporter Michael Kohn, who spoke to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the school was in lockdown during the shooting and students communicated with parents outside using their Apple watches. “This is a neighbourhood school. Parents are stunned. It’s just something you don’t expect to happen in Bend, Oregon. It’s a mountain town,” Kohn said. Teacher Kathy Sheil Smith told CNN affiliate KPTV how she tried to keep children calm after spotting the gunman approach the school. “The looks on their faces was really hard to see,” she said. “Some kids were praying, some kids were consoling other kids. I’m sure that every teacher at the school thought ‘Today is the day that I am going to die,’” she added.

Security and context

NPR’s Arezou Rezvani noted that the Bend-La Pine Schools website emphasized security protocols including secure vestibules, ID checks, and electronic buzz-in systems, none of which stopped the gunman. Local media reports suggested the school received new classroom doors in 2022 that can be locked with the flip of a switch. According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, there were 235 shooting incidents at American schools last year and at least 140 so far this year. Oregon ranks 12th out of 50 states in terms of gun law strictness, per Everytown for Gun Safety. A person under 18 cannot buy a firearm in Oregon, though the state allows juveniles to possess one with parental permission for certain uses such as hunting.