Four people, including three pupils and a teacher, were killed in a shooting at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, police said. Two other people, a child and a teacher, were critically wounded in the attack on Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary School.
The school is about 160 kilometres, or 100 miles, southeast of Portland in the northwestern United States. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the children who died were aged five, eight and 11.
Quick facts
- Four fatalities were reported: three children and one teacher.
- A seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to St Charles Medical Center in Bend in critical condition.
- The suspected attacker was a 16-year-old Bend resident who died at the scene.
- Emergency calls began at about 12:59pm local time, or 19:59 GMT.
Krantz told an afternoon news conference that authorities had not publicly named the teenage suspect. Investigators were still determining whether the 16-year-old had ever attended Silver Rail Elementary.
Initial evidence indicated that the gunman gained entry by firing at secured doors, Krantz said. The first emergency report came from someone in a vehicle who said a person armed with a long gun had fired at the vehicle several times.
Police and other emergency services received the initial call at about 12:59pm, followed by dozens more within minutes. The school entered lockdown at 1:01pm local time, or 20:01 GMT, and officers arrived soon afterwards.
Shortly thereafter, an officer reported that a community member had shot the suspect after seeing the person enter the school. The resident pursued the suspect inside the building and confronted him, Krantz said.
Police then entered the school, verified that the suspect had died and searched the premises for any remaining danger. Once the site had been cleared, officers began delivering emergency treatment to the victims.
The investigation remains under way, Krantz said. Police expect to provide additional details to the public in the coming days.
