Three children and a teacher were killed in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, according to police. A 16-year-old suspect was also killed after a community member pursued him into the school and shot him, officials said.
The children killed were aged five, eight and 11, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said, while a seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to hospital in critical condition, BBC News reported. The victims’ names had not been released.
Police said the suspect first fired at a vehicle with a long gun before entering the school by shooting at locked doors. Officers arrived within three minutes of the first emergency call and found that the suspect had already been shot by the community member, CBS News reported.
Authorities evacuated the school and moved students and staff to a nearby church for reunification with families. The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting local authorities, CBS reported.
Police had not identified a motive or said whether the suspect was connected to the school. Officials also had not confirmed the weapon type or the number of rounds fired. Multiple law-enforcement sources cited by CBS said the suspect used a shotgun.
Bend-La Pine Schools said classes and athletic events across the district would be canceled Friday. Hundreds of people attended a candlelit vigil in Bend on Thursday evening, according to the BBC.