Oregon, October 15, 2026 (DAILYNWZ) — A 16-year-old gunman killed three children and a teacher at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday before an armed community member pursued and fatally shot the attacker, police said.
Two other people — a 7-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher — were taken to hospital with critical injuries, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz told a news conference.
The shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School ended after the community member, whose identity was not disclosed, saw the suspect enter the building and followed him inside, Krantz said. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the intervention, saying the individual had “heroically intervened to stop further loss of life.”
The victims who died were children aged 5, 8 and 11, and one teacher. Police said the gunman entered the school by firing through locked doors but provided no further details about the suspect beyond his age.
Emergency services received a call at 12:59 p.m. local time from a person in a vehicle who reported being shot at several times by someone carrying a long gun, Krantz said. Dozens of additional calls followed within minutes, reporting that the shooter had entered the school.
Authorities immediately ordered the school into lockdown. Officers arrived at 1:02 p.m., and an officer reported moments later that the suspect had been shot. Police then entered the building and confirmed that the attacker was dead, Krantz said.
Krantz said every Bend police officer had completed a full day of active-shooter training in August. “Unfortunately, this is something we train for on a regular basis, and we must,” he said, adding that the investigation would be lengthy.
Kotek expressed grief for the victims, their families and the wider community. “No parent should have to have this kind of day, and no community should have to live through this kind of day,” she said, warning that residents would face a painful period as they learned more about those killed and injured.
The attack also drew condemnation from gun-control advocate Gabrielle Giffords, a former congresswoman who survived a mass shooting in 2011. In a statement, she said she was “heartbroken” by the violence and called on leaders at every level to act.
“This cannot continue to be a reality in our country,” Giffords said.
The shooting took place in Bend, a city of about 100,000 people in central Oregon, roughly 175 miles (280 km) southeast of Portland, near the Deschutes National Forest. Silver Rail Elementary serves children from kindergarten through fifth grade, generally ages 5 to 11, and has about 450 students and 40 staff members, officials said.
School shootings have repeatedly shaken the United States, including attacks at Columbine High School in 1999, Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 and Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022.
Each new attack renews debate over gun laws in a country where the Second Amendment to the Constitution protects the right to bear arms. Gun-rights advocates have argued that arming teachers could help defend schools against attackers.