A 16-year-old male suspect is dead after a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, that left 4 others dead, including 3 children and an adult, police said at a press conference. The shooting happened just before 1 p.m. on October 15, 2026.
The suspect, who has not been identified, was shot and killed before police arrived, according to a press conference held by Bend Police Department spokesperson Sheila Miller. The victims have also not been identified publicly, but their families have been notified. A 7-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher were injured in the shooting and taken to a local hospital in critical condition, police said
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said at a later press conference, “We have identified the suspect as a 16-year-old Bend resident.” Krantz said he couldn’t answer whether the suspect knew anyone at the school and also did not provide a motive.
Authorities Received a 911 Call of a Gunman Shooting Into a Car
Miller said at the press conference on October 15 that in the first 911 call, a witness said an “unknown man had shot into a car.” Authorities then received several 911 calls reporting the shooter had entered the school building.
Later, at a second press conference, Krantz said the first 911 caller was in a car and reported being shot at multiple times outside of the school by a person “with a long gun.” Krantz said a community member saw the gunman entering the school, pursued him into the building and “engaged him.” He said officers entered the building and confirmed the suspect was dead.
Krantz said the initial investigation showed that the suspect forced his way into the school by shooting at locked doors.
Miller said hundreds of law enforcement officers from central Oregon were at the scene investigating. She said a reunification point had been set up at Journey Church, 61303 South Highway 97. Survivors of the shooting were taken there on buses after the building was cleared and families were asked to meet there.
Police did not immediately release details on the specific type of weapon or how many shots were fired, but did confirm witnesses reported the shooter had a long gun.
The Victims Are 5, 8, 11 & a Teacher
The victims include three children ages 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher whose age was not immediately released, Krantz said.
“This is the kind of thing we never want to see happen in Bend,” Miller said, as she became choked up. “It’s devastating and our hearts go out to this community and we ask this community to really work together and come together at this time.”
Miller said about 400 to 450 children attend the elementary school and about 40-plus staff work there.
FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X in the hours after the shooting that agents from the FBI’s Portland office were at the scene, adding they were “assisting our local partners in the investigation regarding an earlier shooting at a local school. We will make every resource they need available.”
In a statement, Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said, “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, Oregon School Shooting: 16-Year-Old Suspect & 4 Others, Including 3 Children, Dead