Bend (Oregon): Three students and a teacher were shot dead by a 16-year-old at an elementary school at Bend, Oregon, in the US on Thursday.
The teenager was then shot by a by a person at the scene who followed him inside, authorities said.
Bend Police chief Mike Krantz said that the suspect was found dead inside the school minutes after the shooting was first reported, as reported by AP.
The three children killed were aged 5, 8 and 11. Another child, 7, and a teacher, 54, were injured and taken to the hospital in critical condition, he said.
The first 911 call came just before 1 pm from a person in a vehicle outside Silver Rail Elementary who reported being shot at by someone with a long gun. Further 911 calls came from inside the school, and officers arrived on scene within minutes, police spokesperson Sheila Miller said.
The attacker, who police identified as a Bend resident, was shot and went down inside the school shortly after officers arrived, she said.
It is not clear whether the shooter knew anyone at the school or whether he had attended, the police said.
After the ordeal, children were taken by bus to a nearby church serving as a reunification centre for families. Parents hugged, kissed and held their kids’ hands as they walked to their cars, with some bringing along favourite stuffed animals or other comfort items from home.
The school in Bend, which is about 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Portland, had 459 enrolled students as of last year, according to the Oregon Department of Education. The school serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
The high-desert city has ballooned in population over the past three decades and is a tourism and outdoor recreation hub near Mount Bachelor.
Classes, sports and extracurriculars were cancelled Friday for all 32 schools in the Bend-La Pine district.
The shooting was the 28th mass killing in the US this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
The police said that the attacker used a pump-action shotgun that was purchased by his mother.
Oregon governor Tina Kotek said her heart was “absolutely broken” and thanked the civilian who pursued the shooter.
“To the community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life: Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well,” she said
