New Delhi: In yet another school mass-shooting incident in the United States, a gunman in his teens killed three children and a teacher in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday. The 16-year-old suspect was later shot dead by a community member who followed him into the school, police said.
The children killed in the attack were aged five, eight and 11, along with a teacher, Bend police department chief, Mike Krantz, said. According to reports, two other victims, a seven-year-old child and another teacher, were injured and taken to hospital, with both in critical condition.
The first emergency call came at 12.59pm local time after someone reported being shot at by a person carrying a long gun. Several calls reporting gunfire inside the school followed, prompting police to order a lockdown at 1.01pm.
According to CNN, the gunman was a 16-year-old resident of Bend who forced his way into the school by firing at locked doors. Police have not established a motive for the attack or explained what led the teenager to target the elementary school.
Krantz said a community member followed the gunman into the school and shot him dead. Police have not identified the person, but a dispatch recording cited by CNN suggested he could be a student’s father.
Officers secured the building and provided emergency assistance to the victims after the shooting. Students and staff were taken by bus to Journey Church, where they reunited with their families. Police spokesperson Sheila Miller said the school has between 400 and 450 students and more than 40 staff members.
36th shooting on US school grounds this year
The attack marked the 36th shooting on K-12 school grounds in the United States this year, according to CNN’s analysis of multiple databases. The incident has drawn attention to school safety in the country, where educational institutions continue to face the threat of gun violence.
The Bend-La Pine Schools district already had security measures in place, including secure entrance vestibules, visitor screening procedures, surveillance cameras and classroom door-locking systems. The district began installing upgraded classroom locks in 2022 as part of a multimillion-dollar security programme, but police said the teenager gunman fired at locked doors to enter Silver Rail Elementary.
Residents gathered at Drake Park on Thursday evening for a candlelight vigil to mourn the victims. The Bend mayor, Melanie Kebler, and Oregon governor, Tina Kotek, joined community members at the gathering, while Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven cook said the district was stunned and heartbroken by the tragedy.
Bend-La Pine Schools cancelled classes across the district on Friday, October 16, along with all school activities and athletic events following the shooting. The former US congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, who leads the gun violence prevention group GIFFORDS, condemned the attack and called on leaders at all levels to act. She said elementary schools should be places of learning and friendship, not where children fear for their lives.