Active shooter reported at Bend, Oregon elementary school

Authorities believe at least five people are dead following a shooting at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon.

That’s according to two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. Both said the death toll was preliminary and could change.

Bend police spokesperson Sheila Miller earlier confirmed the suspect is dead. It wasn’t clear if the suspect was included among the five.

She also said multiple victims were children.

The conditions of the injured people were not immediately known.

Miller said authorities first received a call about a shot fired into a car outside Silver Rail Elementary at 12:59 p.m.

In a later news release posted to social media, the City of Bend Police Department explained that within a minute of receiving the initial report, Deschutes County Dispatch “received multiple 911 calls reporting that a person had entered the school and begun shooting.”

The department said law enforcement officers arrived on scene at 1:02 p.m. Police said that “seconds later,” officers reported that the attacker had been shot and killed.

Miller said the shooter was shot inside the school, but it was not immediately clear who they were shot by. The press release said it was possibly a bystander.

The school was placed on lockdown, and the Bend Police Department set up a reunification point for students’ families.

“We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy,” Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook. “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. Our immediate priorities are caring for our students and staff and assisting law enforcement and emergency responders.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency’s local office was on scene and assisting local law enforcement.

Other schools in the district were also placed on lockdown.

The elementary school is in the Bend-La Pine Schools district. Silver Rail Elementary has about 450 students and 40 staff members, Miller said. The school serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

In a Facebook post, the school district said school, as well as all school activities and athletic events, is canceled Friday, Oct. 16.

Bend is located in central Oregon, more than 100 miles southeast of Portland.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, in posts on X, said she was monitoring the situation.

“As we learn more about the tragic event at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend today, we must come together and support each other, neighbor to neighbor, Oregonian to Oregonian. No community should have to live through this day,” Kotek wrote.

The governor also thanked first responders who responded to the scene.

Both of Oregon’s U.S. senators also released statements on social media. Here is what they said:

“My heart is with the victims of today’s shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School and their loved ones now facing the consequences of another school shooting in America. Once again we must ask how many schools must be shot up before Republicans agree to act to curb gun violence,” Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat, said.

“My team and I are closely monitoring reports of an active shooter situation at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend.

As details continue to come out, my heart is with the Bend community and all of the students and families affected.

No one should have to fear violence at school,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, also a Democrat, said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates

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The Associated Press contributed reporting.