Bend Police Chief Confirms 3 Children and a Teacher Killed at Silver Rail Elementary; 16-Year-Old Gunman Dead

Since the first 911 call came in at 12:59 p.m. PT today, Oct. 15, the picture of what happened at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, has moved from early reports to on-the-record confirmation from the police chief.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz told reporters Thursday evening that three children and one teacher were killed. The children were 5, 8 and 11 years old. The suspect, a 16-year-old male, is also dead.

Two others were taken to St. Charles Medical Center with critical injuries: a 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher. Krantz said the families of the victims have all been notified. No names have been released.

The timeline, minute by minute

The first call came at 12:59 p.m. from a person who said they had been shot at several times while in their vehicle by a suspect with a long gun, Krantz said. Within about a minute, dispatchers were getting dozens of calls reporting that a shooter was inside the building.

Officers arrived at 1:02 p.m.

Krantz said the shooter forced his way into the school by "shooting at locked doors." He said an officer reported that the suspect had been shot by a community member who had seen him enter the school, pursued him inside and engaged him. By the time officers arrived, the suspect had already been killed by the bystander. After officers entered the building, they found the four deceased victims.

Bend Police communications manager Sheila Miller put it this way: officers were on scene at 1:02 "and the shooter was down seconds later."

What police have not said

Police declined to specify the type of long gun used or how many rounds were fired. Multiple law enforcement sources told CBS News the suspect used a shotgun. Police have not confirmed that.

There is no stated motive. Police could not say whether the suspect had a connection to the school, and no further details have been provided on the bystander who shot him.

Silver Rail is a public K-5 school serving 438 students.

The response

Authorities evacuated the school and transported students and staff to Journey Church, about five minutes away, for reunification with their families. Police urged the public to avoid the area.

FBI Director Kash Patel said federal agents are on the scene and that "we will make every resource they need available." A law enforcement source said the ATF is also assisting local authorities, including the Oregon State Police.

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said all schools in the district will cancel classes and athletic events Friday. "No community should have to do what we are doing right now," he said.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, called it "a horrible day" and praised the bystander who "heroically intervened to stop further loss of life," adding: "your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well." Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler said, "A school should be a safe place, where children can learn and be secure. What happened today should never happen." Kebler has said a vigil is planned.

Framing of the bystander

The Daily Wire framed the armed bystander as a "heroic Good Samaritan" who "stopped the shooter in his tracks." That outlet's read is that the intervention ended the attack within minutes.

What is established: the shooter got through locked doors by firing at them, and a community member reached him before police did.

Where this fits

The shooting joins a long string of school shootings over the last three decades, the New York Times noted, from Columbine in 1999 to Sandy Hook, Uvalde and Parkland. CBS News, citing the K-12 School Shooting Database, reported 235 shooting incidents at K-12 schools last year and at least 149 so far this year, including the one in Bend.

What comes next

Another media briefing is scheduled for Friday.

The condition of the 7-year-old and the 54-year-old teacher is the open question tonight. Both were in critical condition at St. Charles Medical Center as of the evening briefing, and the death toll could still change.