The 16-year-old gunman accused of killing three children and a teacher at an Oregon elementary school on Thursday reportedly fired at a pickup truck before entering the building.
The unidentified teenager was carrying a pump-action shotgun when a man sitting in a red Toyota Tacoma in the parking lot of Silver Rail Elementary School saw him moving toward the building, witnesses told The Source.
The driver, alarmed by the teenager’s actions, reportedly confronted him. The gunman responded by firing several rounds at the man and his truck, breaking a rear window and leaving six large bullet holes in the vehicle.
The assailant then allegedly threw the shotgun over the school fence and climbed after it. The pickup driver called Deschutes County dispatchers at about 12.59pm.
As Bend police rushed toward the school, the gunman reportedly fired at the locked entrance doors and managed to get inside.
It remains unclear how far he traveled through the building before three children, aged five, eight and 11, and a teacher whose age has not been released were killed.
Authorities said the teenager was then shot by a good Samaritan who had followed him into the school.
A seven-year-old child and another teacher, aged 54, were taken to a nearby hospital with critical injuries.
A 16-year-old gunman reportedly fired through the locked doors of Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday afternoon and gained access to the school’s special education hallway
Police rushed to the school after reports of a shooting at about 1pm. Shortly after arriving, officers learned that a good Samaritan had shot and killed the gunman
The gunman killed three children and a teacher whose age has not been disclosed before a good Samaritan shot him. Police are pictured responding to the elementary school on Thursday afternoon
Officers reached the school by 1.02pm, but moments later were told that an unidentified community member had shot and killed the lone gunman after following him inside.
Police entered the building and confirmed that the suspect was dead.
As a precaution, officers conducted a room-by-room search and evacuated the school while working to ensure that no further threat remained.
Additional officers wearing bulletproof vests and carrying assault rifles examined vehicles in the school parking lot. Nearby, parents, teachers and children gathered together, embracing and wiping away tears.
Police urged the public to stay away from the area during the investigation, but worried parents gathered outside the school after news of the shooting spread.
Parents later hurried to the nearby Journey Church, where officials were bringing children for reunification with their families. The youngest students were evacuated first.
Mindy Corley, whose nephew is a fifth-grader at the school, waited for him at the church and told NBC News that he was ‘very scared’ after the shooting.
She said he had a cellphone and was able to tell his mother that he was safe, but added that he was ‘clearly very, very scared and wanted to go home.’
Martha Close, the grandmother of a 10-year-old student, said the reunification process ‘seemed to take forever.’ During the wait, she said, ‘I just prayed.’
Family members reunited with students at the school at a nearby church
FIND OUT MORE: Kyle Carpenter Before Injuries, Medal of Honor: Where Is He Now in 2026?
Bystanders had earlier gathered outside the elementary school on Thursday following reports of an active shooter
Officers asked the public to avoid the area as the school remains under lockdown, but a large crowd of concerned parents gathered outside the school after hearing the reports
Steven and Angela Nuchols also told how they got their eight-year-old daughter, Charlotte, dressed up for picture day earlier on Thursday.
They then had to race to the school just a few hours later.
‘It was crawling with police officers from all over the country,’ Angela said. ‘You’ve got guys in tactical gear, rifles. You’re just scared to death wondering is your child OK? You don’t know.’
The couple was later reunited with their daughter, but Angela said it was ‘like the worst three hours of our lives.’
A motive for the shooting remains unclear, but federal officials are now aiding in the investigation
A police officer at the scene of the school is pictured speaking with a concerned resident following the tragedy
Onlookers gathered outside of the elementary school in the aftermath
A motive for the shooting remains unclear, and authorities would not confirm on Thursday night whether the suspect knew anybody at the school or if he had attended it when he was younger.
Federal agents from the FBI’s Portland Bureau and from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are now investigating the deadly shooting, with FBI Director Kash Patel vowing to ‘make every resource [local law enforcement needs] available.’
They have already determined that the suspect used a pump-action shotgun that was purchased by his mother to commit the violent attack, a law enforcement source told the Associated Press.
At a news conference on Thursday night, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the community member she said ‘heroically intervened’ and told how she had visited the school nearly one year ago.
‘My heart is absolutely broken today,’ she said. ‘No parent should have to have this kind of day.’
She then said it was time for the community to grieve.
A candlelight vigil was held for the victims of the shooting on Thursday night
Community members have told how they were left shaken from the attack
‘There is going to be time for answering all those questions we all have right now and searching for more ways to prevent this from happening in the future,’ said Kotek, a Democrat. ‘But for now, let’s hold each other close in grief and put as much love into the world as possible.’
Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook also called the incident on Thursday ‘an unthinkable tragedy.
‘No community should have to do what we are doing right now,’ he said at the news conference, visibly shaken by what had happened. ‘I don’t have any words for what this community is feeling right now.’
The school district has now canceled all classes, activities and athletic events that were scheduled for Friday.
