A 16-year-old suspect shot and killed three children at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, in the US state of Oregon, police said. A bystander then shot and killed the suspect.

The suspect, who has not been named, forced his way into the school on Thursday afternoon by shooting at locked doors, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz confirmed.

Krantz said a community member “pursued him into the school and engaged him.” Police arrived three minutes later and confirmed the attacker was dead. Officers then searched the school.

Victims and response

The three children who were killed were aged five, eight and 11. A seven-year-old and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to hospital in critical condition.

It is unclear whether the attacker had any links to the school. Police said he was a local boy. They have not released further details about him or the identities of the victims.

“We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy,” Steven Cook, the top administrative official of the local school district, said in a statement. “No words can adequately express the grief our community is experiencing.”

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the bystander who “heroically intervened” to stop further loss of life.

How the attack unfolded

Police said they were alerted to an active shooter at the school at 12:59 local time (19:59 GMT), according to Bend Police Department spokeswoman Sheila Miller.

The first call came from a person who said an unknown suspect was shooting into their car with a long gun. Photos from the scene show a red truck with bullet holes. Minutes later, the county dispatch received 911 calls reporting that the attacker had entered the school.

Local media reported that the school had new classroom doors installed in 2022 that can be locked with the flip of a switch. A local newspaper reporter told BBC Radio 4 that the school was in lockdown during the shooting and that students were able to contact parents outside using their Apple watches.

Community reaction

Michael Kohn, a reporter with the Bulletin newspaper, said parents were stunned. “This is a neighbourhood school,” he said. “It’s just something you don’t expect to happen in Bend, Oregon. It’s a mountain town.”

Schools in Bend were closed on Friday. Officials said the community needed time to heal.

About 450 children attend Silver Rail Elementary School, which has more than 40 adult staff members, police said.

Gun violence data

According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, there were 235 shooting incidents at American schools last year and at least 140 so far this year.

Gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety ranks Oregon 12th among US states for the strength of its gun laws. However, the group says the state’s gun violence rate is near the national average, at 14.2 deaths per 100,000 residents.