Five killed in Oregon School shooting, including suspect

A child and another teacher were also critically injured in the attack at Silver Rail Elementary School on Thursday.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the suspect entered the school by shooting at a locked gate before opening fire inside. The victims included children aged five, eight and 11, while the injured child was seven.

According to Krantz, a local resident followed the teenager after seeing him enter the school and shot him while he was firing. The resident's identity was not disclosed.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek visited the school and expressed condolences to the victims' families, saying no parent or community should ever have to endure such a tragedy.

School shootings have become a recurring concern in the United States, with previous major attacks at Columbine High School in 1999, Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 and Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, the United States has recorded more than 360 mass shootings so far in 2026. The organisation defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people are shot.

The Washington Post reported that 2,733 people had been killed in mass shootings since 2006.

-AJM