NewzA 16-year-old shot his way through locked doors to get into an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, killing three children and a teacher. He was then shot by a person at the scene who followed him inside, authorities said.The suspect was found dead inside the school minutes after the shooting was first reported, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said.The three children killed were aged 5, 8 and 11. Another child, 7, and a teacher, 54, were injured and taken to the hospital in critical condition, he said.The first 911 call came just before 1 p.m.
from a person in a vehicle outside Silver Rail Elementary who reported being shot at by someone with a long gun, Krantz told reporters. Further 911 calls came from inside the school, and officers arrived on scene within minutes, police spokesperson Sheila Miller said.The attacker, who police identified as a Bend resident, was shot and went down inside the school shortly after officers arrived, she said.Police said they did not know if the shooter knew anyone at the school or whether he had attended.Children were taken by bus to a nearby church serving as a reunification center for families. Parents hugged, kissed and held their kids’ hands as they walked to their cars, with some bringing along favorite stuffed animals or other comfort items from home.The school in Bend, which is about 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Portland, had 459 enrolled students as of last year, according to the Oregon Department of Education.
The school serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade.The high-desert city has ballooned in population over the past three decades and is a tourism and outdoor recreation hub near Mount Bachelor.Classes, sports and extracurriculars were canceled Friday for all 32 schools in the Bend-La Pine district.The shooting was the 28th mass killing in the U.S. this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.The attacker used a pump-action shotgun that was purchased by his mother, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.At a news conference, Oregon Gov.
Tina Kotek said her heart was “absolutely broken” and thanked the civilian who pursued the shoot… A flower bouquet rests against the sign outside the Silver Rail Elementary School following a shooting in Bend, Oregon. (EPA Images pic)BEND: A teenager shot and killed three children and a teacher on Thursday at an elementary school in the US state of Oregon, police said, adding the assailant was later killed by an armed bystander who pursued him into the building.Officers rushed to Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, a city of about 100,000 in the nation's northwest, after reports of a shooter on campus on Thursday afternoon.The three children who died on the scene were aged five, eight and 11, said Bend police chief Mike Krantz.
Another child and a teacher were being treated for critical injuries after the shooting.The US, where firearms are readily available, has a long and painful history of gun violence, with thousands of people killed every year. It has the highest rate of gun-related deaths among all developed nations.People gathered in the city's Drake Park on Thursday evening for a candelight vigil remembering the victims."I'm in total complete shock, and scared and sad," said Betsy, who did not give her last name. She spent around 10 minutes contemplating a circle of candles and flowers."It's awful, but it also has brought people together," she told AFP.Krantz, the police chief, told journalists that the department first learned of an active shooter after a call from a person who reported being shot at multiple times by a person carrying a long gun.Dozens of emergency calls then reported that a shooter had entered the school and all law enforcement in the area were called to the scene, the chief added.Officers arrived at 1:02 pm local time (2002 GMT) within minutes of the calls, he said."Moments later, an officer reported that the suspect had been shot by a community member who had seen the suspect enter the school and pursued him into the school and engaged him," Krantz said."Our officers entered the building and confirmed the suspect was dead."One seven-year-old and one 54-year-old teacher with critical injuries were transported to a local hospital, he said.The police chief said the investigation was in its early stages, but told the press conference it appeared "the shooter had forced their way into the school by shooting at locked doors."He added that the 16-year-old shooter was a Bend resident.'Unthinkable tragedy'Between 400 and 450 children at…
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