Four people were killed in a shooting at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, including one adult and three children, according to law enforcement officials.
Authorities confirmed that the gunman, who was a teenager, is also dead.
The shooting appeared to begin with about an hour left in the school day. Police responded to Silver Rail elementary school shortly after 1 p.m., after receiving reports of bullets striking a car. 911 callers also reported seeing the gunman enter the school. When officers arrived, the suspected assailant had been shot and killed inside the school.
Bend Police communications manager Sheila Miller told reporters the suspect may have been shot by a bystander. The police did not provide any additional information about the suspect. “This is the kind of thing we never want to see happen in Bend. It’s devastating,” said Miller. Bend is a central Oregon town of roughly 100,000, about 150 miles southeast of Portland.
Emergency officials worked to evacuate about 400 students at the elementary school, room by room. Officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were reportedly on scene to help local authorities.
Oregon governor Tina Kotek said on social media she was monitoring the situation. “As we learn more about the tragic event at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend today, we must come together and support each other, neighbor to neighbor, Oregonian to Oregonian, she wrote on X. “No community should have to live through this day.”
“We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy,” Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said in a statement. “We extend our deepest sympathy to the families and to everyone affected by this violence. No words can adequately express the grief our community is experiencing. Our immediate priorities are caring for our students and staff and assisting law enforcement and emergency responders.”
According to data compiled by Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 400 mass shootings in the US in 2026. GVA defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter.
The FBI is helping to investigate the shooting, according to the agency’s director, Kash Patel. The Bend-La Pine school district announced the cancellation of all classes and athletic events on Friday due to the tragedy.
Read more: Three children and one adult were fatally shot at an Oregon elementary school
