Three children and teacher killed in US primary school shooting

16 October 2026, 02: 29 BST. Updated 28 minutes ago.

Key points

• Police were alerted to an active shooter at Silver Rail Elementary at 12: 59 local time (04: 59 BST), Bend Police Department spokeswoman Sheila Miller remarked to journalists.
• According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, there were 235 shooting incidents at American schools last year and at least 140 so far this year.
• Local media reports suggested the school received new classroom doors in 2022 which can be locked with the flip of a switch.
• Minutes afterwards, the local county dispatch received 911 calls reporting that the attacker had entered the school.
• Police remarked the attacker was a local 16-year-old boy, but they did not release any further details on him or the identity of the victims.

Notably, a 16-year-old has shot dead three children and a teacher at a primary school in the US state of Oregon before he was killed by a bystander, police remarked.

In practice, the suspect, who has not been named, forced his way into Silver Rail Elementary School in the city of Bend on Thursday afternoon by shooting at locked doors, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz remarked.

In practice, the teenager was shot dead by a community member who "pursued him into the school and engaged him", Krantz remarked.

Meanwhile, the three children killed were aged five, eight and 11. A seven-year-old and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to a hospital in a critical condition, Krantz remarked. It is unclear if the attacker had any links to the school.

"We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy, " Steven Cook, the top administrative official of the local school district, remarked in an official note. "No words can adequately express the grief our community is experiencing."

According to The first call came from a person who, an unknown suspect was shooting into their car with a long gun, police stated. Photos published from the scene show a red truck with bullet holes.

Police remarked he shot at locks on the doors so as to force his way inside.

Meanwhile, a bystander saw the shooting commence to unfold, pursued the attacker into the school and shot him dead, police stated.

Three minutes afterwards, officers first arrived at the scene. According to They, the attacker had been killed, and then searched the school.

Schools in Bend have been closed on Friday. Authorities stated the community needed time to heal.

Around 450 children attend Silver Rail Elementary School. It has more than 40 adult staff members, police remarked.

For now, three children and teacher killed in US primary school shooting remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.