New massacre in an American school. It all happened in a few minutes. The shooter who opened fire at the Silver Rail elementary school in Bend, Oregon, killing four people including three children, was 16 years old. He was killed by a passer-by who chased him into the institute. According to an initial reconstruction, the attacker – a resident of the Oregon town – first shot at the locked doors of the school, to unlock the locks, and then managed to enter.
The victims are three children aged 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher. A 7-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher were transported to the hospital in critical condition, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said during a news conference. The police have so far not disclosed what type of weapon he used. The killer’s motive is not yet known, nor whether or not he knew anyone inside the school.
What happened at Silver Rail elementary school in Bend
Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade and has approximately 450 students and 40 staff members. The alarm went off at lunchtime. The police chief reported that around 1pm local time, rescuers received a call from a person in a vehicle, who reported having been shot several times by someone armed. Over the next few minutes, dozens of reports arrived indicating that the shooter had entered the school, Krantz explained.
The police immediately ordered a total lockdown of the institute. Officers arrived on site at 1.02pm and, moments later, one of them reported that the suspect had been shot. Police then entered the building, confirming the attacker’s death.
Killed by a passerby
The attacker, a sixteen-year-old who lived in Bend, was killed by a passer-by who followed him into the school and confronted him, thus avoiding an even worse massacre. For many the man, whose identity the police have not released, is already a hero. It is unclear how the bystander got involved and whether or not he had the right to carry a weapon with him near a school. His gesture, however, avoided what could have been carnage. The police have so far not disclosed what type of weapon he used. The killer’s motive is not yet known nor whether or not he knew anyone inside the school.
Shootings and the gun debate
“Today is a terrible day for our community. School should be a safe place where children can learn,” Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler said. The Bend shooting is the 21st mass shooting in the United States in 2026, and is set to reignite the gun debate amid the midterm elections. School shootings have become a recurring phenomenon in American life.
Among the most well-known incidents are those at Columbine high school in 1999, at Sandy Hook elementary school in 2012, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in 2018 and at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022. Each shooting reignites the debate on the laws regulating gun possession, in a country where this right is protected by the second amendment of the Constitution. Gun rights advocates have also proposed arming teachers as a defensive measure.