Three children and a teacher were killed before a community member confronted the 16-year-old attacker inside the school.
BEND, Ore. — Police were investigating Friday how a 16-year-old armed attacker entered a central Oregon elementary school and killed three children and a teacher before a community member followed him inside and fatally shot him, authorities said.
The attack at Silver Rail Elementary School unfolded within minutes Thursday afternoon. The children killed were ages 5, 8 and 11, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said. A 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to a hospital in critical condition. Authorities had not publicly identified the dead, the injured or the teenage suspect as the investigation continued.
The first emergency call came at about 12:59 p.m. from a person in a vehicle outside the school who reported being shot at by someone carrying a long gun, according to police. More 911 calls followed almost immediately from people reporting that a shooter had entered the school. The school was placed on lockdown as officers were dispatched.
Investigators said the teenager forced his way through locked doors by firing at them. Officers reached the campus at about 1:02 p.m. Moments later, police learned that the suspect had been shot inside the building. Authorities said a community member had seen the teenager enter the school, followed him inside and confronted him before officers reached the suspect.
Police then moved through the school, confirmed that the suspect was dead and found the victims. Students were evacuated classroom by classroom and taken by bus to a nearby church, where families gathered for reunification. The shooting brought a large response from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Authorities had not announced a motive Friday morning and said they did not yet know whether the teenager had a connection to Silver Rail Elementary or had previously attended the school. Krantz said the investigation would be lengthy. Police also had not publicly identified the community member who shot the suspect.
A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press that the attacker used a pump-action shotgun that had been purchased by his mother. Police initially described the firearm only as a long gun. Investigators were expected to continue examining how the teenager obtained the weapon and what happened before he arrived at the school.
The rapid response followed active-shooter training completed by Bend police officers in August, Krantz said. Officers arrived roughly three minutes after the first reported gunfire, but the suspect had already been confronted by the armed community member by the time police reached him. Authorities have credited that intervention with preventing additional loss of life.
Silver Rail Elementary serves children in kindergarten through fifth grade and had 459 students enrolled as of last year, according to state education data cited by The Associated Press. Bend-La Pine Schools canceled Friday classes, sports and extracurricular activities across the district as police continued processing the school and families began mourning the victims.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek joined local officials at a briefing Thursday and thanked the person who intervened while acknowledging the emotional burden of the encounter. School officials said their immediate focus was supporting students, employees and families affected by the attack.
Police said the investigation remained active Friday, with the motive, the suspect’s relationship to the school and other circumstances leading to the shooting still unresolved. Authorities had not announced when Silver Rail Elementary would reopen.
Author note: Last updated October 16, 2026.