Bend, Oregon school shooting kills three children and a teacher; suspect shot dead by parent

What happened

A 16-year-old opened fire at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, 15 October, killing three children aged 5, 8 and 11 and a 25-year-old woman teacher. Police said the first 911 call came just before 1 p.m. from a person in a vehicle outside the school, who reported being shot at by someone with a long gun. Officers reached the building within minutes, and Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the attacker was found dead inside the school minutes after the shooting was first reported. Krantz said the teenager forced entry by firing through locked doors and used a 12-gauge shotgun, firing as many as 15 times. He still had about 44 rounds when he was killed, and investigators have not yet established where the gun came from.

The attacker and the school

Police and school officials said the teenager had once been a special-needs student at Silver Rail. Superintendent Steven Cook said the teenager was not enrolled in the local public school system when the attack happened. Krantz said all of the victims were shot in the same special-needs classroom. Under Oregon law, a minor may possess a shotgun when a parent provides it or consents, and sources have not said whether that applied here. The shooter's mother spoke briefly to reporters outside her apartment, saying she was sorry and wished she could have done something.

Teacher and armed parent

A teacher threw her phone at the attacker, then tackled and fought him, which Krantz called heroic and likely life-saving. A 36-year-old father whose two children attend the school went inside after the attacker and shot him within minutes of the first emergency call. CNN International reported that the father carried a pistol he lawfully possessed. Donald Trump called the father a "great hero" and said:

“It's a terrible thing, but thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it.”

Victims and reactions

Four people died in the classroom, not counting the attacker: the three children and the teacher. A seven-year-old girl and a 54-year-old staff member were taken to hospital in critical condition, according to police. The teacher's family said her work at Silver Rail was her "dream job". The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade and has about 450 students and 40 staff, officials said.

Killed (excluding attacker)4

Injured, critical condition2

Killed (excluding attacker)

4 people

Injured, critical condition

2 people

Data from the article text

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek thanked the community member who intervened and said:

“No parent should have to have this kind of day, and no community should have to live through this kind of day.”

Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler said the school should be a safe place where children can learn.

Wider picture

The Gun Violence Archive has documented 369 mass shootings in 2026, counting incidents in which four or more people are shot. A database kept by the Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University lists this shooting as the 28th mass killing in the United States this year. Everytown for Gun Safety has tallied at least 100 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in 2026, with 34 deaths.