Oregon school shooting: The suspected shooter was 15 or 16 years old, one of the sources said.
At least four people died in a shooting at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, police said. The deceased included three children ages 5, 8 and 11 and a teacher.
Another child and teacher were taken to the hospital, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz was quoted by The Associated Press as saying.
The shooter, 16, was found dead inside the school when police arrived, Krantz said. A community member had pursed him into the school and shot him, he added.
Authorities believe that at least five people were dead following a shooting at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, according to two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case.
The officials told The Associated Press the death toll was preliminary and could change.
Who was the shooter?
The suspected shooter was 15 or 16 years old, one of the sources said. Any other detail about the shooter is awaited.
Bend police spokesperson Sheila Miller earlier confirmed the suspect is dead. It wasn’t clear if the suspect was included among the five.
Miller also said multiple victims were children.
“We don’t have a number at this point. We know children are among the victims,” Miller said during a media briefing.
Authorities received a call about a shot fired into a car outside Silver Rail Elementary at 12:59 p.m. and arrived on scene within minutes. Further 911 calls came from inside the school, she said.
The attacker was shot and went down inside the school soon after police arrived, Miller said.
It was not immediately clear if it was by police, a bystander or self-inflicted.
Miller said two people were transported to St. Charles Bend hospital following the shooting, and their conditions were not immediately known. A spokesperson for the hospital did not immediately return a request for comment from the AP.
School under lockdown
Silver Rail Elementary was under lockdown, the Bend-La Pine school district wrote on Facebook.
“We’re in the process at this time of going room by room and evacuating each of the people who are in that school. ... This is the kind of thing we never want to see happen in Bend. It’s devastating,” Miller said, pausing to control her emotions.
The school in Bend, Oregon, which is more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Portland, had 459 enrolled students as of last year, according to the Oregon Department of Education. The school serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
(With inputs from AP)