Oregon school shooting: Three children, teacher killed in Bend; According to police, the 16-year-old shooter is dead

At least four people died Thursday in a shooting at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, police said. Among the dead were three children aged 5, 8 and 11 and a teacher.

Another child and a teacher were taken to the hospital, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said, according to The Associated Press.

The shooter, 16, was found dead inside the school when police arrived, Krantz said. A community member caught him at school and shot him dead, he added.

Authorities believe at least five people are dead after a shooting at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, according to two police officers with knowledge of the case.

Officials told The Associated Press that the death toll is preliminary and subject to change.

who was the shooter

The suspected shooter was 15 or 16 years old, one of the sources said. More details about the shooter are pending.

Bend police spokeswoman Sheila Miller previously confirmed the suspect is dead. It was unclear if the suspect was included among the five.

Miller also said several of the victims were children.

“We don’t have a number at this point. We know there are children among the victims,” Miller said during a news conference.

Authorities received a report of a car shot outside Silver Rail Elementary School at 12:59 p.m. and arrived on the scene within minutes. Other 911 calls came from inside the school, she said.

The attacker was shot and fell inside the school shortly after police arrived, Miller said.

It was not immediately clear whether it was police officers, bystanders or a suicide.

Miller said two people were taken to St. John’s Hospital after the shooting. Charles Bend and their condition is not immediately known. A hospital spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment from the AP.

School on lockdown

Silver Rail Elementary School was placed on lockdown, the Bend-La Pine School District wrote on Facebook.

“Right now we’re going room by room evacuating every single person that’s in that school… This is something we never want to see in Bend. It’s devastating,” Miller said, pausing to control her emotions.

The school in Bend, Ore., which is more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Portland, had an enrollment of 459 students as of last year, according to the Oregon Department of Education. The school serves students from kindergarten to fifth grade.