Three children and one teacher are dead after a shooter entered an elementary school in Oregon on Thursday and opened fire, authorities said.
The suspected shooter, a 16-year-old, was fatally shot by a community member, who saw the teen going into the Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, and engaged him, Bend Police Department Chief Mike Krantz told reporters at a news conference Thursday evening.
The three children who were killed were 5, 8 and 11.
Police tape is placed outside Silver Rail Elementary school, where a shooting took place, Oct. 15, 2026 in Bend, Ore.
Joe Kline/AP
In addition, a 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to the hospital with critical injuries, police said.
Police initially received a call right before 1 p.m. PT Thursday about a shot fired into a car outside the school, according to Bend Police Department spokesperson Sheila Miller.
“Within about a minute, we were receiving multiple 911 calls from within the school,” Miller said at a press briefing.
The 911 callers reported that a person had entered the school and started shooting, police said.
An emergency worker holds up police tape at the scene of a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore., Oct. 15, 2026.
Rob Kerr/Reuters
School buses are lined up outside Silver Rail Elementary school, where a shooting took place, on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 in Bend, Ore. (AP Photo/Joe Kline)
Joe Kline/AP Photo
Officers arrived on the scene minutes later and within seconds the suspect was down, Miller said. It is unclear who shot the suspect, she said.
Law enforcement evacuated the school room by room. A reunification site for families has been set up at a nearby church.
Emergency personnel direct traffic at the Journey Church family reunification location following a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School, in Bend, Ore., Oct. 15, 2026.
Rob Kerr/Reuters
The shooting sparked a large police presence.
“Everything they were doing seemed highly trained and highly prepared for this,” Caleb Weis, who was riding his motorcycle near the school at the time, told ABC News.
“I didn’t see as many phones out recording as you see on many other occasions, just a kind of a shock factor and an immense amount of respect for the law enforcement, first responders,” he said.
People stand near the scene of a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, US, October 15, 2026, in this screengrab from a handout video.
ABC Affiliate KOHD/via Reuters
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is on the scene assisting in the investigation.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are also en route to the school, according to a source.Â
Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said they are “stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy.”
“No words can adequately express the grief our community is experiencing,” he said in a statement. “Our immediate priorities are caring for our students and staff and assisting law enforcement and emergency responders.”
Classes, activities and athletic events at all Bend-La Pine Schools are canceled for Friday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
