Oregon school shooting: gunman, 16, kills three children and teacher in Bend

A 16-year-old gunman shot dead three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon. A community member pursued and killed the shooter within minutes.

Bystander kills school shooter after four die at Bend elementary school

A 16-year-old gunman killed three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday before a community member pursued and shot him dead, dw.com reports. A further child and a teacher were wounded and taken to hospital.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz confirmed the victims at a press briefing: three children aged 5, 8 and 11, and one adult teacher. "The deceased at the scene include three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and one teacher," Krantz told reporters.

The first 911 call was logged at around 1 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) from a person in a vehicle outside the school who reported being shot at by someone carrying a long gun, Krantz said. Additional calls came from inside the building. Officers arrived within minutes.

Police spokesperson Sheila Miller said the situation ended almost immediately after officers reached the scene. "Seconds later, we received word over the radio that the suspect in this incident was down," Miller said. The shooter was killed by a community member who had pursued him during the attack.

Silver Rail Elementary serves children from kindergarten through fifth grade — roughly ages 5 to 11 — and has approximately 450 students and 40 staff members, Miller said. Students were subsequently escorted by bus to a separate location, where they were reunited with their families.

Bend is a city of around 100,000 people in central Oregon, approximately 175 miles (280 kilometres) southeast of Portland.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the individual who intervened. "No parent should have to have this kind of day, and no community should have to live through this kind of day," Kotek said, thanking the community member who "heroically intervened to stop further loss of life."

The Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are shot excluding the shooter, recorded more than 365 such events in the United States so far this year. The US has the highest rate of gun-related deaths among high-income countries, where firearms are widely available.

Source: The Sun