Teen gunman, 16, kills three children aged 5, 8 and 11 and a teacher in Oregon elementary school after shooting locked doors to get inside

A teenage gunman killed three children and a teacher when he opened fire at an elementary school in Oregon on Thursday afternoon.

The unidentified shooter, 16, shot at the locked doors of Silver Rail Elementary School in the city of Bend on Thursday afternoon before killing three children, ages five, eight and 11, and one teacher whose age was not disclosed.

He was then gunned down by a good Samaritan whom authorities said followed him into the building.

A seven-year-old and another 54-year-old teacher were also transported to a local hospital with critical injuries. 

A motive for the shooting remains unclear, and authorities would not confirm on Thursday night whether the suspect knew anybody at the school or if he had attended it when he was younger. 

But at a press conference on Thursday night, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the community member she said ‘heroically intervened’ and told how she had visited the school nearly one year ago.

‘My heart is absolutely broken today,’ she said. ‘No parent should have to have this kind of day.’ 

She then said it was time for the community to grieve.

‘There is going to be time for answering all those questions we all have right now and searching for more ways to prevent this from happening in the future,’ said Kotek, a Democrat. ‘But for now, let’s hold each other close in grief and put as much love into the world as possible.’

Three children and a teacher were killed when a teenage gunman broke into an elementary school in Bend, Oregon on Thursday

Family members are pictured walking to a reunification center following the shooting 

The tragedy began with Deschutes County dispatchers receiving a call at around 12.59pm from a driver who reported being shot at multiple times by an individual with a long gun, and at 1pm, the police department sent out an alert to respond to a critical scene. 

As officers then raced to the school, the suspect forced his way into the building by shooting at locked doors – at which point dispatchers started receiving ‘dozens’ of 911 calls, Police Chief Mike Krantz said at a news conference Thursday night.

Cops arrived at the scene by 1.02pm and just moments later, the lone shooter was killed by an unidentified community member.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz announced on Thursday night the victims include a five year old, an eight year old and an 11 year old

The school was placed under lockdown following the shooting, as police officers went room by room to evacuate the building, Miller said. The school has a student body of between 400 to 450 pupils and a staff of more than 40.

In the meantime, officers asked the public to avoid the area, but a large crowd of concerned parents were seen gathering outside the school after hearing the reports.

Those worried parents have since rushed to the nearby Journey Church, to be reunited with their loved ones. 

Reports from the scene now indicate that at least one class has been released and worried parents were seen walking over to the church, according to the Bend Bulletin.  

But Kayla Jensen, president of the school’s Parent Teacher Organization, said she and other parents were still awaiting word about their children.

‘We have not gotten any news,’ she told The Oregonian. ‘We are all here.’ 

Mindy Corley, the aunt of a fifth-grader at the school, also told NBC News how her nephew was left ‘very scared’ in the aftermath of the shooting.

She said he has a cellphone and was able to tell his mother he was OK, but ‘he was clearly very, very scared and wanted to go home.’ 

Officers have asked the public to avoid the area as the school remains under lockdown, as a large crowd of concerned parents gathered outside the school after hearing the reports

A police officer was seen setting up police tape outside of the elementary school

Bystanders had earlier gathered outside the elementary school on Thursday following reports of an active shooter

Meanwhile, agents from the FBI’s Portland bureau have arrived at the scene to assist local authorities in the investigation, Kash Patel said. 

‘We will make every resource they need available,’ Patel said on X. 

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also raced to the scene, and placed an urgent trace on the suspect’s weapon, NBC News reports. 

At a press conference on Thursday night, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the community member she said ‘heroically intervened’ and told how she had visited the school nearly one year ago.

‘My heart is absolutely broken today,’ she said. ‘No parent should have to have this kind of day.’ 

She then said it was time for the community to grieve.

‘There is going to be time for answering all those questions we all have right now and searching for more ways to prevent this from happening in the future,’ said Kotek, a Democrat. ‘But for now, let’s hold each other close in grief and put as much love into the world as possible.’

Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler echoed the sentiment.

‘Today is an awful day for our community,’ she declared. ‘Our hearts are broken as we mourn this tragedy and the profound impact it has had on so many people, especially the children, families, educators and school staff whose lives have been forever changed.

‘A school should be a safe place where children can learn and feel secure,’ Kebler continued, as she called for the community to lean on one another.

‘We are here for you. We grieve alongside you and we will get through this together.’  

Bend police officers rushed to the scene of the shooting on Thursday afternoon. A child is pictured walking near police tape following the tragedy

At least four people, including children, have died in the shooting. Police spokeswoman Sheila Miller is pictured speaking with reporters

The Bend Police Department announced on social media that officers responded to the scene of the shooting and asked the public to avoid the area

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook also called the incident on Thursday ‘an unthinkable tragedy.

‘No community should have to do what we are doing right now,’ he said at the news conference, visibly shaken by what had happened. ‘I don’t have any words for what this community is feeling right now.’

Following the tragedy, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum announced that she is halting all campaign activity, saying she is ‘focused on supporting and being with the community as it responds to this tragedy.

‘I feel this deep, deep, deep in my soul,’ she said in a statement. ‘Our whole community does. Our whole state does. And the whole nation should.

Emergency personnel direct traffic at the Journey Church family reunification location

Evacuated students were taken by bus to an off-site reunification center

‘Our babies are supposed to do arts and crafts at school, not use their desks as cover from gunfire. They’re supposed to make friends, not mourn them. This is every parent’s worst fear.

‘My heart and my prayers and everything else I got is with the families at Silver Rail Elementary. When will it end?’

Senator Ron Wyden also said: ‘My heart is with the victims of today’s shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School and their loved ones now facing the consequences of another school shooting in America.’

‘Once again we must ask how many schools must be shot up before Republicans agree to act to curb gun violence,’ he continued.