BEND, Oregon — Three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher were killed Thursday in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. The suspect, who has only been identified as a 16-year-old Bend resident, was killed by a bystander.
Two others, a 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher, were taken to the hospital with "critical injuries," Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said.
Bend Police said they received a call at 12:59 p.m. from a person in a vehicle who said they were being shot at by someone with a long gun.
Multiple additional calls came in that the shooter had entered the school. At 1 p.m., all officers were alerted, the school was directed to lockdown at 1:01 p.m., and officers arrived on the scene one minute later, at 1:02 p.m., Krantz said.
The shooter was killed by "a community member who had seen the suspect enter the school and pursued him into the school and engaged him," he said. The suspect, who Krantz referred to as "him," is believed to have entered the school by shooting locked doors.
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Officers found the three children, teacher and suspect deceased in the school.
The Bend Police Department responded to a shooting that killed three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School on Oct. 15 in Bend.
Krantz declined to release additional details about the shooter, the weapon or if the bystander who killed the suspect had a concealed carry permit.
Another press conference with additional details was expected to occur Friday afternoon.
The shooting in Bend is at least Oregon’s eighth fatal mass shooting since 1998.
The central Oregon city is about 130 miles from Salem and Eugene and is known for its outdoor recreation, arts and culture, dining and community.
All schools in the Bend-La Pine district were closed Friday.
State and local leaders expressed condolences and urged community support in the wake of the shooting.
Krantz asked for patience as officers continue to investigate.
"This is something we never want to happen anywhere, but especially in our beautiful community here in Bend," he said. "There are not really any words I can say to any of you that will make this better."
Gov. Tina Kotek urged Oregonians to support each other and said her prayers would be with everyone involved.
"My heart is absolutely broken today," she said. "And our hearts will stay broken in the days and weeks ahead."
Bend-La Pine Superintendent Steven Cook thanked the school staff who aided and protected students, saying they had done "what no one should ever be asked to do."
"Please hold your children, hold your loved ones tight tonight," he said. "Let them talk, let them cry. Let them know we are going to rally and care for one another in this community."
People take part in a candlelight vigil at Drake Park for victims of the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting in Bend on Oct. 15.
Thousands gather to mourn victims in Bend
Thousands of community members gathered in Drake Park in Bend for a prayer vigil later in the evening on Oct. 15. Among the crowd were tearful parents, children, residents, faith leaders and elected leaders.
Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler said it was a day every mayor dreads.
Parent to an elementary school child herself, Kebler was emotional while speaking and said there were “simply no words” for the loss the community had suffered.
“I am proud of our community coming together to support one another because that is what we’re going to need right now,” Kebler said. “Your leaders ... are grieving with you, we’re mourning with you and we will continue to stand and support you in the days and months ahead of us because we love this community and we love Bend.”
Kotek joined her on stage and tearfully said she was “so sorry” for what those in the crowd and the state were experiencing.
“No family, no community should have to have this kind of day,” she added.
State Sen. Anthony Broadman, D-Oregon, spoke with the Statesman Journal by phone from the vigil. There are community resources, and people need to lean on each other for support, he said.
His focus is to be strong for the community and "work like hell to protect them and work to ensure that this never happens again."
"This grieving is going to last a long time," Broadman said.
The vigil came together in a group chat, according to New Hope pastor Brandon Blumberg. More than a dozen churches mobilized.
Blumberg said they didn’t know what to expect, but that the crowd of thousands spoke to the level of pain people feel in the community.
He described Bend as a "land island" and said everyone knows someone who attends Silver Rail Elementary or knows of someone directly impacted. The shooting is personal, he added. His own daughter is 5 years old and attends a different nearby school.
"We send them to school every morning, expecting them to come home," Blumberg said.
Alisia Sisneros, a Christian student at Oregon State University Cascades, said she joined because she's a nanny and babysitter to young children who are the same age as the victims.
"It broke my heart today to hear that these kids I could have taken care of or anyone could have interacted with lost their lives," Sisneros said. "It's a true tragedy."
The vigil continued into the late evening, with community members later setting up a makeshift memorial with flowers, stuffed animals, candles and chalk messages of support.
