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Illustrative image of Farmington High School in Connecticut. A separate school shooting in Bend, Oregon, killed four people, including three children and a teacher.
Oregon Elementary School Shooting Kills Four, Including Three Children
BEND, OREGON — October 16, 2026
A shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, killed four people, including three children and a teacher, on Thursday, police said. The 16-year-old suspect was also killed after an armed community member followed the shooter into the school and confronted the attacker.
The children who died were aged 5, 8 and 11. A 7-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher were critically injured and taken to hospital, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said during a news conference.
Police said the suspect forced entry onto the school campus by shooting through locked doors. Authorities have not released further details about the teenager or explained what led to the attack.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the community member who intervened, saying the action helped prevent further loss of life. Police Chief Krantz said the individual had seen the suspect enter the school and pursued the attacker. Officials did not identify the community member.
The emergency response began at 12:59 p.m. local time, when a person inside a vehicle reported being shot at several times by someone carrying a long gun, Krantz said. Police then received numerous calls reporting that the shooter had entered the school, prompting authorities to order a lockdown.
Officers arrived at about 1:02 p.m. A short time later, an officer reported that the suspect had been shot. Police entered the school and confirmed the teenager was dead, Krantz said.
Silver Rail Elementary serves children from kindergarten through fifth grade, generally ages 5 to 11. The school has about 450 students and 40 staff members, according to officials.
Bend, a city of around 100,000 people in central Oregon, lies about 175 miles (280 kilometres) southeast of Portland, near the Deschutes National Forest. The attack has shaken the community and renewed attention to the continuing problem of school shootings in the United States.
Krantz said all Bend police officers had completed a full day of active-shooter training in August. He described the case as a lengthy investigation, saying such incidents were something officers regularly prepared for.
The shooting adds to a long history of deadly attacks at American schools, including 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 attack has renewed national debate over gun laws and school safety. The US Constitution protects the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment, while gun-control advocates have called for stronger action to prevent shootings. Some gun-rights supporters have argued that arming teachers could help defend schools.
Former US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived a mass shooting in 2011 and later became a prominent gun-control advocate, said she was heartbroken by the attack. She called on leaders at all levels of government to take action to prevent further shootings.
The investigation into the Bend attack remains ongoing as the community mourns the victims and authorities work to establish what happened.
