A shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon left multiple people dead on Thursday afternoon, with authorities confirming that children were among the victims and that the suspect was shot and killed at the scene. Police said at least two people were transported to a hospital as the Bend-La Pine School District scrambled to reunite terrified families at a nearby church.
The shooting occurred at the school, according to OPB, which reported that a Bend Police Department spokesperson confirmed multiple victims at the school, including children. Per KTVZ, at least two people were transported to St. Charles Bend, though their condition was not immediately known. Authorities confirmed that children were among the victims and that the suspect died at the scene.
Accounts of the death toll differed in the hours after the shooting. CBS News reported that at least three children and one adult were killed, while an Associated Press headline said five people were believed dead following the shooting. Bend police confirmed separately that the suspect was shot and killed, according to the Statesman Journal. Officials later confirmed that three children and one teacher were killed; the suspect also died, bringing the total to five fatalities.
How the Attack Unfolded in Minutes
According to a timeline compiled by NBC News, dispatchers received a first call at about 12:59 p.m. reporting that an unknown man had fired a shot into a car. Within a minute, multiple 911 calls came in reporting that a person had gone into the school and started shooting. Officers arrived at the scene at about 1:02 p.m., just three minutes after the first call reached dispatch.
The suspect's identity had not been publicly released, the outlet reported. Police spokesperson Sheila Miller initially said, “It may have been a bystander,” but at the 5:30 p.m. Thursday press conference officials said a community member had pursued and fatally shot the suspect. Agents from the FBI's Portland bureau arrived to assist local authorities with the investigation, the same report noted.
The Bend Police Department posted on X as the response was still underway, writing: “The Bend Police Department is currently at Silver Rail Elementary School after a report of an active shooter. There is a large police presence in the area. Please avoid the area. We will share more information as soon as we can.”
Families Directed to Nearby Church for Reunification
Students were bused from the school to Journey Church at 61303 S. Highway 97 for reunification with their families, per KTVZ's reporting. Bend-La Pine Schools canceled classes, activities and athletic events across the district for Friday, according to ABC News.
Reports differed on how many students attend Silver Rail Elementary, with NBC News citing an estimate of between 400 and 450 children, while Oregonlive put the figure at about 450 students.
A Pattern That Keeps Repeating in Oregon
Thursday's shooting adds to a grim history of school violence in Oregon. In 1998, Kip Kinkel killed two classmates and wounded 25 others at Thurston High School in Springfield, the same Oregonlive report noted. In 2014, Jared Michael Padgett shot and killed one student and wounded a physical education teacher at Reynolds High School in Troutdale before killing himself.
National data on school shootings this year varies depending on the database and definitions used. CBS News reported that the K-12 School Shooting Database recorded 235 shooting incidents at U.S. K-12 schools last year and at least 149 so far in 2026, including the Bend shooting. CNN, using its own analysis, counted at least 52 school shootings nationwide in 2026, with at least 28 people killed and 48 injured, and identified the Bend shooting as the 36th on K-12 school grounds this year. The figures are not directly comparable, as the outlets appear to be tracking different sets of incidents.
Investigators had not released a motive as of Thursday evening, and the suspect's identity remained unconfirmed in official statements. Officials confirmed that three children, a teacher and the suspect died, and said a community member had pursued and fatally shot the suspect, as the Bend community grappled with the aftermath at a school now surrounded by grieving families and emergency vehicles.
