New details have emerged about the moments before a 16-year-old opened fire inside Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, killing three students and a teacher, according to a report from the Bend Source.
The teen, a Bend resident whose name has not been released, was approaching the school just before 1 p.m. Thursday when a man driving a red Toyota Tacoma pickup truck spotted him in the parking lot. The driver confronted the boy, who then opened fire on the truck with a long gun, shattering its rear window and leaving at least six large bullet holes in the vehicle, the report said.
A law enforcement source speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity identified the weapon as a pump-action shotgun that had been purchased by the teen’s mother.
After firing at the truck, the boy allegedly threw the shotgun over a fence, climbed over himself, and picked the weapon back up before shooting through the locks to force his way into Silver Rail Elementary, which serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The driver of the truck called 911 to report he had been “shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun.”
Police arrived within three minutes of the first call. By then, three children — ages 5, 8 and 11 — and a teacher had been fatally shot. A 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were hospitalized in critical condition.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz told reporters Thursday that the shooter was “shot by a community member who had seen [him] enter the school, pursued him into the school, and engaged him.” Authorities have not said whether that bystander held a concealed weapons permit, nor have they said whether the teen had previously attended the school or knew any of the victims.
Questions About Access to the Gun
Under Oregon law, a person must be 18 to buy a rifle or shotgun and 21 to buy a handgun. Those younger than 18 may possess long guns with parental consent. It remains unclear whether the teen had his mother’s consent to use the shotgun she had purchased.
The Bend-La Pine school district has banned all firearms from district property since at least 2022, including for those with concealed carry licenses, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. A separate state law allows lawfully owned guns on school grounds only if they are unloaded and locked inside a vehicle.
Krantz said the investigation into the shooting would be “long.”
Community and Officials React
Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Oregon, spoke about the shooting on CNN with Anderson Cooper Thursday.
“The most heartbreaking thing, as the details have surfaced, is that we have a child involved in the killing of other children. Multiple families are being impacted. This continues to happen.”
Former Bend Mayor Jeff Eager also spoke with CNN, describing the shock felt across the community.
“You can’t imagine that it happens here. Bend is a place that people move to from bigger cities. They move here because it’s relatively safe here, they move here because we have schools you can walk your kids to.”
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek thanked the bystander who intervened, saying the person “heroically intervened to stop further loss of life,” while adding that no one “should have to live through this kind of day.”
“And as we learn more about the children and the adults who have been killed or injured, and their families and their loved ones, we are going to do a lot of crying, and we are going to cry together, and we’re probably going to cry privately.”
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