4 dead in Oregon school shooting in US, teen gunman killed

Three children and a teacher were killed when a 16-year-old opened fire at an elementary school in the US state of Oregon on Thursday. The teenage gunman was also killed after a community member confronted him and exchanged gunfire, police said.

Two others, including a child and a teacher, were injured in the attack.

The shooting occurred at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend at around 1 pm local time, triggering a major police and emergency response. Authorities were investigating the circumstances leading to the attack, the identities of those killed and the motive behind the shooting.

According to the Bend Police Department, the first emergency call reported that an unidentified man had fired shots into a car near the school. Within moments, dispatchers received multiple calls reporting that someone had entered the school and begun shooting.

Police officers arrived within seconds and found the gunman dead from a gunshot wound.

Police Chief Mike Krantz said a community member had followed the teenager into the school and engaged him in gunfire, killing him before responding officers arrived, CNN reported.

CNN, citing police officials, reported that the victims were children aged five, eight and 11, along with a teacher. A seven-year-old child and another teacher were injured and taken to a hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known.

Silver Rail Elementary School serves children from kindergarten through fifth grade, generally aged five to 11. The school has approximately 450 students and 40 staff members, Miller said, according to Reuters.

The school was placed under lockdown as authorities responded to the shooting. A reunification centre was established at a nearby church to help students reconnect with their families. School buses carrying students and staff members were later seen arriving at the centre, CNN reported.

The school district announced that all Bend-La Pine Schools would remain closed on Friday, with classes, activities and sporting events cancelled.

FBI joins probe as Oregon mourns victims

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it was assisting local authorities with the investigation. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that federal agents were at the scene and that the agency would make all necessary resources available to investigators.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek expressed grief over the shooting and urged residents to stand together in support of those affected by the tragedy.

“As we learn more about the tragic event at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend today, we must come together and support each other, neighbour to neighbour, Oregonian to Oregonian,” Kotek said in a statement. “No community should have to live through this day.”

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook also offered condolences to the victims' families, describing the attack as a senseless tragedy.

“We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy,” Cook said, adding that the school community was grieving and that no words could adequately convey the pain caused by the violence.

Former Bend Mayor Jeff Eager told CNN that the shooting had left the community in shock, describing the attack as “unimaginable”. He said many people had moved to Bend because it was considered a relatively safe place to live and raise children.

US Senator Ron Wyden expressed solidarity with the victims and their families, renewing calls for action to address gun violence.