Police investigate the deadly shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, where three children and one adult were killed. (Images: X)
Bend (Oregon): Three children and one adult were killed in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon on Thursday, according to the Bend Police Department. The suspected shooter was also found dead, authorities said, as investigators worked to establish the circumstances surrounding the deadly incident.
Police said the suspect was shot and killed, possibly by an armed bystander. Officials have not confirmed the precise sequence of events or released further details about how the shooting unfolded.
Bend police spokesperson Sheila Miller confirmed that multiple children were among the victims during an earlier media briefing. At that stage, authorities had not provided a confirmed casualty count. Two law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation initially said that at least five people were believed to have died. They stressed that the toll was preliminary and could change. Subsequent information from the police department identified three children and one adult as the victims, alongside the deceased suspect.
The suspect was reportedly 15 or 16 years old, according to one law enforcement source. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the suspect’s identity or motive.
According to Miller, authorities received a report at 12:59 p.m. about a shot fired into a car outside Silver Rail Elementary. Officers arrived within minutes, and additional emergency calls were subsequently received from inside the school. Investigators have yet to release further details about the shooting or explain the circumstances that led to the deaths.
In response to the tragedy, Bend-La Pine Schools cancelled classes, activities and athletic events scheduled for Friday across elementary, middle and high schools throughout the district. The shooting has left the local community grappling with the loss of life as authorities continue their investigation into one of the region’s most serious school emergencies.
