Three children and one teacher are dead after a shooter entered an elementary school in Oregon on Thursday and opened fire, authorities said.
The suspected shooter, a 16-year-old, was fatally shot by a community member who saw the teen going into the Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon and engaged him, Bend Police Department Chief Mike Krantz told reporters at a news conference Thursday evening. The three children who were killed were 5, 8 and 11 years old.
In addition, a seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to the hospital with critical injuries, police said.
Police have not publicly identified the suspected shooter, saying only that he is a Bend resident. They have not said whether he attended the school or knew anyone at the school.
Police initially received a call right before 1:00 PM Pacific Time Thursday about a shot fired into a car outside the school, according to Bend Police Department spokesperson Sheila Miller.
"Within about a minute, we were receiving multiple 911 calls from within the school," Miller said at a press briefing.
The 911 callers reported that a person had entered the school and started shooting, police said.
Officers arrived on the scene minutes later and within seconds the suspect was down, Miller said. It is unclear who shot the suspect, she said.
Law enforcement evacuated the school room by room. A reunification site for families has been set up at a nearby church. The shooting sparked a large police presence.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is on the scene assisting in the investigation.
