Four people, including three children, were killed in a shooting at an elementary school in Oregon on Friday, US media reported, citing law enforcement sources. The 16-year-old male suspect was also killed.
The shooting took place at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend. Media reported that three children and one adult had died, although police had not officially confirmed the death toll at the time of reporting.
Police confirmed that there were “multiple victims", including children, and said the shooter had been shot dead.
Police Reach School Within Minutes
Sheila Miller, a spokesperson for the Bend Police Department, said officers received an alert about a critical incident at around 1 pm local time and arrived at the scene approximately two minutes later.
“Seconds later, we received word over the radio that the suspect in this incident was down," Miller told reporters.
She said officers were informed moments after arriving that the shooter had been killed. However, it was not immediately clear who had shot the suspect, and Miller said it could have been a bystander.
The school was placed under lockdown following the shooting, according to the Bend-La Pine School District.
Students Evacuated, Families Reunited
Authorities later escorted students on buses to a separate location where their families could reunite with them.
Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook expressed grief over the incident and offered condolences to the affected families.
“We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy," Cook said in a statement.
He added that no words could adequately express the grief felt by the local community.
Silver Rail Elementary School serves children from kindergarten through fifth grade and is located in Bend, around 170 miles south-east of Portland.
The shooting has renewed concerns about gun violence in the United States, where mass shootings remain a recurring problem.
GIFFORDS, a gun safety organisation, expressed solidarity with the affected families and children in a post on X.
“Our hearts are with the terrified children and the families anxiously waiting to hear that their loved ones are safe," the organisation said. “We cannot keep accepting this as a fact of life."
The investigation into the shooting was continuing, with authorities yet to release further details about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Source: ANI