A 16-year-old shot his way through locked doors at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on October 15 and killed three children, ages 5, 8, and 11, and a teacher, the Associated Press reported. A 7-year-old and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The first 911 call came just before 1 p.m. from a person in a vehicle outside the school who said someone with a long gun had shot at them, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said. Officers arrived within minutes. A community member who saw the attacker enter the school followed him inside and confronted him, police said, and the suspect was found dead inside the school minutes after the shooting was first reported. Police have not released his name and said they did not know whether he knew anyone at the school.
The attacker used a pump-action shotgun bought by his mother, a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting told the AP. Children were taken by bus to a nearby church that served as a reunification center for families.
"To the community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life: Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well," Gov. Tina Kotek said.
Silver Rail serves kindergarten through fifth grade and enrolled 457 students in the 2024-25 school year, according to federal data. The Bend-La Pine Schools district canceled classes and activities at all of its schools on Friday. The AP said the shooting was the 28th mass killing in the U.S. this year, based on a database it maintains with USA Today and Northeastern University.
What the research says families can do
A federal study of school attacks points to a few places where families have real influence.
Lock up guns at home. The U.S. Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center studied 41 attacks at K-12 schools from 2008 to 2017, carried out by current or recent students. Twenty-five of the attackers used firearms. Of those 25, 19, or 76%, got a firearm from the home of a parent or another close relative. Police have not said whether the Bend attacker ever attended Silver Rail. The American Academy of Pediatrics says "All guns in your home should be locked and unloaded, with ammunition locked separately," and estimates that 4.6 million children live with unlocked, loaded guns.
Take worrying behavior seriously. In 80% of the cases the Secret Service studied, the attacker's behavior had raised concern among people around them, and most attackers had communicated a threat or their intent to attack. The report found no profile of a student attacker. The concerning behaviors it listed included threats, intense or escalating anger, unusual interest in weapons, sadness or isolation, talk of suicide or self-harm, and talk of being bullied. About half of the attackers had communicated about or engaged in behavior related to suicide or self-harm.
Know where to report it. Oregon runs SafeOregon, a 24/7 statewide school safety tip line where students, parents, and community members can report concerns anonymously or confidentially by call, text, email, web form, or app. Many states run similar lines, and a school counselor or principal can also take a report. If a child is talking about suicide, call or text 988.
Talk with your kids, briefly and calmly. The National Association of School Psychologists tells parents to reassure children that they are safe, make time to talk, keep explanations right for the child's age, review safety procedures, watch for changes in their emotional state, limit exposure to TV and social media coverage, and keep a normal routine. Children who feel picked on may not tell an adult on their own, as allk12's guide to signs a child is being bullied explains, so asking directly helps.
Ask the school about its plan. Bend families were reunited with their children at a church that served as a reunification center. Parents can ask their own school where that site would be, how families would be notified, and how drills work. Our explainer on school resource officers covers one piece of school security.
Sources
Associated Press via PBS NewsHour: Teen shooter kills 4 at Oregon elementary school before being shot by a witness
U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center: Protecting America's Schools (2019)
American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org: Guns in the Home: How to Keep Kids Safe
National Association of School Psychologists: Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Families and Educators
SafeOregon: Statewide school safety tip line
Enrollment from allk12's analysis of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
