A deadly shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, left three children and a teacher dead on Thursday afternoon, police said. The attacker, a 16-year-old whose name has not been released, allegedly shot out the locks on the school’s doors to force his way inside.
According to Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz, the rampage ended when a member of the public, who witnessed the attack beginning, followed the teenager into the building and shot him dead. Officers arrived at the scene just three minutes later and confirmed the shooter had been killed before sweeping the building.
The children killed were ages 5, 8, and 11. A 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were rushed to a hospital in critical condition. Police have not disclosed whether the attacker had any connection to the school, nor have they named the victims or the bystander who intervened.
The first emergency call reportedly came from someone whose car was being shot at with a rifle before the gunman entered the building. Local officials said all schools in Bend would remain closed Friday so the community could begin to process the tragedy. Silver Rail Elementary serves roughly 450 students and employs more than 40 staff members.
The shooting adds to a grim national tally: at least 140 school shootings have occurred in the US so far this year, following 235 last year, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database.
Read the full original report at the BBC for further details.
Source: Three children and teacher killed by 16-year-old at Oregon primary school (feeds.bbci.co.uk).
Image: MassDOT.