What we know
• The victims: Three children, aged 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher were killed in a shooting at the Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday. Another child and teacher were rushed to hospital with critical injuries.
• The shooter: The 16-year-old Bend resident was shot dead by a community member who pursued him into the school, police said. The shooter’s motive is currently unclear.
• School shooting surge: This is the 36th shooting on K-12 school grounds across the United States this year, according to a CNN data analysis.
Updates
(16)Here's what police have revealed about the shooting
CNN’s Leigh Waldman outlines what we learned Thursday.
Three children, aged 5, 8 and 11, and one teacher were killed when a 16-year-old entered an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, and started shooting, police said at a news conference. A community member who saw the teenager entering Silver Rail Elementary School followed him in before engaging him in gunfire, killing him before responding officers arrived. The initial EMS radio dispatch indicated the community member may have been a father.
In pictures: Bend community holds prayer vigil
The community of Bend, Oregon, held a candlelight vigil for the victims of the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting on Thursday night.
Recess laughter was replaced by sirens, neighbor says
Sierra Jordan, who works at a business less than half a mile from the school, told CNN the typical laughter of children playing outside for recess was replaced by a swarm of ambulances, police officers and other first responders rushing to the scene.
Jordan had never seen so many police officers in her life, she said, adding one of her coworkers was on a walk outside when she heard gunfire around 1 p.m. That coworker was not sure exactly how many shots she heard.
The situation is “absolutely heartbreaking,” Jordan said.
Bend is described as a scenic and safe city
Bend, a picturesque city of about 100,000 people nestled on the Deschutes River in Oregon, is better known for its outdoor activities and easy access to hiking and biking trails.
The town was named in the top 75 safest midsize cities in the country, according to a SmartAsset study earlier this year.
But Thursday’s deadly shooting isn’t the first in Bend. In 2022, a 20-year-old gunman, a Bend resident, killed two people after walking into a grocery store with an AR-15-style rifle and opening fire.
Oregon state has also seen a handful of school shootings over the past 30 years.
In 2015, a 26-year-old student killed nine people in a shooting rampage at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg. The year before, a 15-year-old student opened fire at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, killing one student before turning the gun on himself.
In 1998, CNN reported on a shooting at Thurston High School in Springfield, where a 15-year-old killed two students and wounded 25 others before he was subdued by fellow students.
Here's what we heard in emergency dispatch audio
Police characterized the person who killed the shooter as “a community member,” and an initial Emergency Medical Services radio dispatch indicates it may have been a pupil’s father.
“It looks like the shooter has been neutralized, possibly shot by a father at the school,” the dispatch audio said.
Officials have not specified the bystander’s connection to the school.
Bend-La Pine Schools had "secure vestibules" and upgraded locking system, district says
All schools in the Bend-La Pine Schools district are equipped with “secure vestibules” at the entrance of each of its buildings and a classroom door locking system, according to the school district’s website.
A photo ID is needed to access the main campus, and the system allows schools to screen and track all visitors. The school district said it has security cameras installed both inside and outside of all buildings.
In 2022, schools in the district began receiving new door locks as part of a multi-million dollar upgrade that allow “anyone inside the classroom to turn the lock and secure the classroom” and is designed to “increase the timeliness and ease of a classroom lockdown.”
Police said the Silver Rail Elementary School gunman forced his way into the school by shooting at locked doors, but it’s unclear how far he made it into the building, according to Chief Mike Krantz of Bend Police Department.
Bend community holds emotional candlelit prayer vigil
Members of the Bend community gathered in a local downtown park Thursday evening for a prayer vigil to support and grieve for those impacted by the school shooting.
A large crowd of mourners held candles and hugged one another as they listened to prayers, music and community leaders in an emotional vigil.
This is the 36th shooting on K-12 school grounds this year
The Silver Rail Elementary tragedy is the 36th shooting on K-12 school grounds this year in the United States, according to CNN’s analysis of multiple databases, including the Gun Violence Archive.
There have been several shootings at elementary and middle schools in recent years, including the deadly mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School last year and the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
As school shootings have increased nationwide in recent years, they have become more common at homecoming and football-related events, too, according to a CNN analysis.
Here are the facts about school shootings in the United States.
"No telling how many casualties" if shooter wasn't stopped, CNN analyst says
“As a country, we, we still lack the courage to do anything to try to prevent these things from occurring. And it’s going to happen again,” CNN’s Senior Law Enforcement Analyst Charles Ramsey said.
A timeline of how the shooting unfolded
Police are investigating why a 16-year-old entered an elementary school in Bend, Oregon on Thursday with a long gun and began shooting, killing three children and one teacher.
Here’s a timeline of how the attack unfolded, according to Bend Police Department chief Mike Krantz:
- 12:59 p.m.: The first 911 call is received. It’s from someone in a vehicle reporting being shot at multiple times by an individual with a long gun. The call indicated an “unknown man had shot into a car.” Moments later, dispatch receive dozens of calls reporting that a person had entered the Silver Rail Elementary School and started shooting.
- 1 p.m.: Dispatch use a tone to alert all law enforcement.
- 1:01 p.m.: Police direct the school to go into lockdown.
- 1:02 p.m.: Police arrive on the scene and report that the suspect has been shot by a community member. The bystander saw the shooter enter the school and followed him in before engaging him in gunfire and killing him. Police entered the building and confirmed the suspect is dead. Officers then clear the school and give emergency aid to the casualties. Police confirm four dead, including three children and one teacher.
All students and staff were then transported to the Journey Church for reunification with families.
In pictures: Emergency responders at the scene Thursday
Scenes from outside of Silver Rail Elementary school on Thursday show emergency services and police responding to the school shooting, which left four people dead, including three children.
Bend police officers underwent threat training in August
Every Bend police officer went through a full day of active threat training at a local high school in August, Bend Police Department chief Mike Krantz said Thursday.
The police chief said there will be a “large police presence” at the Silver Rail Elementary School “for the next several days.”
“This is going to be a long investigation,” he added.
Schools superintendent says his community is “heartbroken”
Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook choked up as he expressed gratitude to staff members who “helped our students and protected our kids today.
Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook says his community is "heartbroken" after a shooting at an elementary school left three children and one teacher dead.
"Heartbroken" and "horrified." How Oregon officials are reacting
Officials in Bend have described the shooting at an elementary school as an “unthinkable tragedy” that has had a “profound impact” on the community.
Here’s what some of the district’s leaders are saying:
“We are heartbroken. We are horrified. This is the kind of thing you hear about in other places, and pray that it never happens here,” said Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook in an emotional press conference Thursday.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the “quick thinking and courage” of Silver Rail Elementary School staff, parents and first responders, as well as the “heroic” community member who engaged the shooter.
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said: “My heart is with the victims of today’s shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School and their loved ones now facing the consequences of another school shooting in America.”
Rep. Janelle Bynum flew back to Bend after learning of the deadly shooting at an elementary school in her district.
Former Bend Mayor Jeff Eager described the shooting as “unimaginable.”
Eager said the school was built in recent years, adding the school district has invested a lot in security.
"Our kids are getting shredded," Oregon congresswoman says about elementary school shooting
Democratic Rep. Janelle Bynum flew back to Bend, Oregon, after learning of the deadly shooting at an elementary school in her congressional district.
“The most heartbreaking thing, as the details have surfaced, is that we have a child involved in the killing of other children,” Bynum told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
Three children, aged 5, 8 and 11, and one teacher were killed when a 16-year-old Bend, Oregon, resident entered an elementary school and started shooting, police said at a news conference Thursday evening.
A 5-year-old is among the children killed in an Oregon school shooting. Here's what we know
Three children, aged 5, 8 and 11, and one teacher were killed when a 16-year-old entered an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, and started shooting, police said Thursday.
Here’s what we know about the shooting:
What happened: The first 911 call indicated an “unknown man had shot into a car,” moments before calls to police reported a person had entered the school and started shooting. The shooter, armed with a long gun, forced his way into the school by shooting at locked doors, but it’s unclear how far he made it into the building, said Chief Mike Krantz of Bend Police Department. A “community member” who saw the teenager entering Silver Rail Elementary School at about 1 p.m. followed him in before engaging him in gunfire, killing him before responding officers arrived, Krantz said.
What we know about the casualties: Police found five people dead at the scene, Krantz said. A 7-year-old child and another teacher were also injured and transferred to a hospital, according to officials.
What we know about the shooter: Police have not yet identified the shooter and it is not yet clear whether he had any connection to the school, what specific long gun was used, or how many rounds were fired. Police have not yet weighed in on a potential motive. The FBI is assisting in the investigation, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
