Four People Killed in US School Shooting

A 16-year-old gunman opened fire at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, killing four people, including three children, before being killed by an armed community member who pursued the suspect into the school, police said.

The shooter forced entry into Silver Rail Elementary School by firing through locked doors, authorities said. The victims were children aged 5, 8 and 11, along with a teacher. A 7-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher were also critically injured and taken to hospital, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz told reporters at a press conference.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, who attended the briefing, praised the community member for intervening and potentially preventing further casualties.

"No parent should have to have this kind of day, and no community should have to live through this kind of day," Kotek said. She added that as more information emerged about the victims and their families, the community would share in their grief.

Krantz said the unidentified community member witnessed the suspect entering the school and followed him inside.

School shootings have become a persistent concern in the United States, with previous high-profile attacks at Columbine High School in 1999, Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, and Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022.

Each incident reignites the national debate over gun control in a country where the Second Amendment to the US Constitution protects the right to bear arms. Gun rights advocates have argued that allowing teachers to carry firearms could help protect schools against such attacks.

Police Had Undergone Active Shooter Training

Krantz said all Bend police officers completed a full day of active shooter training in August.

"Unfortunately, this is something we train for on a regular basis, and we must," he said, adding that the investigation would be lengthy.

The shooting occurred in Bend, a city of approximately 100,000 residents in central Oregon, about 175 miles (280 kilometres) southeast of Portland. The city is located in the state's high desert region, near the Deschutes National Forest.

Silver Rail Elementary School caters to students from kindergarten through fifth grade, generally aged 5 to 11. According to officials, the school has approximately 450 students and 40 staff members.

Gabrielle Giffords, a former US congresswoman and gun control advocate who survived a mass shooting in 2011, expressed heartbreak over the incident.

"This cannot continue to be a reality in our country. Leaders at every level must step up and act," Giffords said in a statement.

According to Krantz, emergency services received the first call at 12:59 pm Pacific Daylight Time (1959 GMT) from a person inside a vehicle who reported being shot at multiple times by someone carrying a long gun.

Within minutes, authorities received dozens of additional calls reporting that the gunman had entered the school. Police immediately instructed the school to go into lockdown.

Officers arrived at the scene at 1:02 pm. Moments later, an officer reported that the suspect had been shot. Police subsequently entered the building and confirmed that the gunman was dead, Krantz said.