Teen gunman kills 3 children and a teacher at Bend, Oregon elementary school before a bystander stops him, police say

What happened

A 16-year-old shooter killed three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 15, police said. The children were 5, 8 and 11 years old, according to the Associated Press, as published by PBS NewsHour, and ABC News.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the shooter was found dead inside the school when officers arrived. A community member who saw the teen entering the building followed him inside and shot him, Krantz told reporters, ABC News reported.

How the attack unfolded

A call about shots fired at a driver

According to ABC News, police received a call at 12:59 p.m. from a driver who said a person with a long gun had fired at them multiple times. The AP described the first report as a shot fired into a car outside the school. More 911 calls soon came from inside the building, said Sheila Miller, communications manager for the Bend Police Department.

Krantz said the early investigation shows the shooter forced his way in by shooting at locked doors, ABC News reported. The school was told to lock down at 1:01 p.m., and officers arrived one minute later, according to the chief.

A bystander stepped in

When officers got there, one reported that a community member had already shot the suspected shooter after pursuing him, Krantz said. Police have not released details about that person but said they would likely share more on Friday, ABC News reported.

NPR reported that the shooter used a "long gun," which it described as similar to a rifle or shotgun. Police have not identified him, saying only that he lived in Bend. They have not said whether he attended the school or knew anyone there.

The victims and the school

Two people hospitalized

Police said a 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to the hospital with critical injuries, according to ABC News. The AP reported that two people were taken to St. Charles Bend hospital and that their conditions were not immediately known at the time.

About Silver Rail Elementary

The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade and had 459 students enrolled as of last year, according to Oregon Department of Education figures cited by the AP. Bend is more than 100 miles southeast of Portland.

Police evacuated the school room by room, and families were directed to a reunification site at a nearby church, ABC News reported. "This is the kind of thing we never want to see happen in Bend. It's devastating," Miller said, according to the AP.

How officials responded

State and school leaders

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek thanked teachers, staff and first responders, ABC News reported. She also praised the community member who she said "heroically intervened to stop further loss of life." Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook called the shooting an "unthinkable tragedy."

School officials canceled classes, activities and athletic events at all Bend-La Pine Schools for Friday. "We are heartbroken. We are horrified," Cook said, according to ABC News.

Federal agencies

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency was on the scene helping with the investigation, according to ABC News. Citing a source, ABC also reported that agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on their way to the school.

Caleb Weis, who was riding his motorcycle near the school at the time, told ABC News that responders seemed "highly trained and highly prepared for this."

What to watch next

• Police said they would likely release more information Friday about the community member who stopped the shooter, ABC News reported.
• The suspected shooter has not been publicly identified, and his connection to the school, if any, remains unclear, according to NPR.
• Updates on the 7-year-old child and the 54-year-old teacher, who police said had critical injuries.
• Findings from the FBI, which Director Kash Patel said is assisting in the investigation.