An armed bystander fatally shot the 16-year-old suspect who opened fire Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, according to multiple law enforcement sources cited by several media outlets.
Federal law enforcement sources told Fox News that the bystander, who was carrying a concealed weapon, “definitely prevented more deaths.” A law separate law enforcement source similarly told USA TODAY that the bystander was legally carrying a concealed weapon and followed the shooter.
CBS News also reported, citing law enforcement sources, that the 16-year-old suspect “was shot and killed by a bystander.”
Bend Police communications manager Sheila Miller said at a news conference that officers arrived at the school at 1:02 p.m. and, seconds later, received word that the suspect was down. “We don’t have confirmation yet who shot the suspect. It may have been a bystander,” Miller stated in the news conference, which took place in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
Police said the first call at approximately 12:59 p.m. reported that an unknown man had shot into a car outside the school. Within about a minute, multiple 911 calls reported that a person had entered the school and started shooting.
Earlier local reporting from The Source Weekly described a passerby outside the school confronting a man with a gun, after which the man fired at a vehicle, shattering a window, before entering the school, reportedly in the special education area. Police confirmed they were investigating reports of shots fired into a vehicle.
At least three children and one adult were killed in the shooting, according to law enforcement sources who spoke with CBS News. The suspect, who has been identified as a 16-year-old male who was armed with a shotgun, was also killed.
Another child and another adult were transported to a local hospital for injuries that were described as serious, according to a law enforcement source who spoke with USA TODAY.
Official Bend Police statements have confirmed multiple victims, including children, and said at least two people were transported to St. Charles Medical Center, with their conditions not immediately known. Police have not publicly released a final casualty count or the suspect’s identity as of this report.
Similarly, Miller stated in the news conference that “the victims include children” and that the total number of victims was not clear at the time of the briefing. She also said, “This is the kind of thing we never want to see happen in Bend. It’s devastating.”
No further information on the suspect has been released by authorities as of this report.
Silver Rail Elementary, located at 61530 Southeast Stone Creek Lane in southeast Bend, serves kindergarten through fifth grade and has approximately 400 to 450 students and about 40 staff members. Upon arrival, law enforcement evacuated classrooms room by room, and students were transported by bus to a reunification site at Journey Church, 61303 S Highway 97.
A large police presence remained at the school and the church. Nearby schools that briefly went into lockdown later had those alerts lifted. All Bend-La Pine Schools will be closed Friday, with extracurricular and athletic events canceled.
“We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy. We extend our deepest sympathy to the families and to everyone affected by this violence. No words can adequately express the grief our community is experiencing,” Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said in a statement. “Our immediate priorities are caring for our students and staff and assisting law enforcement and emergency responders.”
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
