Three children and a teacher were killed on Thursday when a 16-year-old opened fire at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, police said. The children were aged 5, 8 and 11. The shooter was found dead inside the school when police arrived. Police Chief Mike Krantz said a community member had pursued him into the building and shot him.
What happened
Deschutes County dispatchers received a 911 call at 12:59 p.m. from a person in a vehicle who said they had been shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun. Further calls reported that someone had entered Silver Rail Elementary School and opened fire. Krantz said the school went into lockdown at 1:01 p.m., and officers arrived shortly after. Preliminary findings indicate the shooter forced his way in by firing at locked doors.
Krantz said an officer soon reported that a community member who had seen the suspect enter the school had pursued and confronted him. Officers then entered the building, confirmed the suspect was dead, cleared the school to make sure there were no other threats and gave emergency aid to victims.
The victims
The dead are three children aged 5, 8 and 11 and one teacher. Two others were taken to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend. Al Jazeera reported they were a 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher. Reports said both remained in critical condition. Police had not released the victims’ names in the reports reviewed, and said families had been notified.
The shooter
Krantz said the suspect was a 16-year-old Bend resident, who has not been publicly named. Investigators are still working to determine whether he ever attended the school. Earlier on Thursday, law enforcement sources had told the AP the suspect was 15 or 16 and that the death toll was preliminary. That early report said at least five people might be dead, before police later confirmed four victims plus the shooter.
A community in shock
Police evacuated the school room by room, and students and staff were taken by bus to a nearby church, where they were reunited with their families. The reunification site was at Journey Church. Bend Police communications manager Sheila Miller said, visibly emotional, that it was the kind of thing the city never wanted to see. Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook addressed families and staff after the shooting. A prayer vigil was planned for Thursday.
Silver Rail Elementary serves students from kindergarten through fifth grade. According to the Oregon Department of Education, it had 459 students enrolled last year. Bend is about 100 miles southeast of Portland.
Reaction
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau was on scene helping local police and would make every resource available. Gov. Tina Kotek said all Oregonians mourned the loss and that no community should have to live through such a day. She also spoke to the bystander who confronted the shooter, saying they heroically stepped in to stop further loss of life, and that she was thinking of them given the emotional burden of the act. Sen. Jeff Merkley said his heart was with the Bend community and that no one should have to fear violence at school.
National context
The Gun Violence Archive, which tracks US shootings, has recorded 369 mass shootings so far in 2026, defined as incidents with four or more people killed or injured, not counting the shooter. The group Everytown for Gun Safety says there have been at least 100 incidents of gunfire on US school grounds this year, with 34 people killed.
What happens next
Krantz said the investigation is ongoing and more information would be released in the coming days. Police have not yet said what the shooter’s motive was, how he obtained the weapon, or whether he had any connection to the school.
