The teenage gunman who killed three children and a teacher at an Oregon elementary school on Thursday first opened fire on a pickup truck before entering the building, according to witnesses.
The unidentified 16-year-old was carrying a shotgun and walking toward Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend when a man inside a red Toyota Tacoma, parked in the school lot, spotted him, The Source reported.
The driver, alarmed by the teenager’s actions, decided to confront him. The gunman responded by firing repeatedly at the man and his truck, breaking a rear window and leaving six large bullet holes in the vehicle.
A law enforcement official briefed on the attack told The Associated Press that the teenager used a pump-action shotgun purchased by his mother.
Images shared online showed three bullet holes along the lower passenger-side door of the Toyota Tacoma SR5, with two more near the front of the door. Another two holes damaged the paint at the bottom of the truck bed.
The truck’s rear passenger-side window appeared to have been completely shattered, leaving no visible glass in the frame.
After shooting at the pickup, the assailant reportedly threw the weapon over the school fence and climbed over it himself. The truck’s driver called Deschutes County dispatchers at about 12:59 p.m.
As Bend police rushed to the school, the gunman fired at its locked doors and reportedly managed to get inside.
Authorities have not said how far he traveled through the building before killing three children, aged five, eight and 11, along with a teacher whose age was not released.
The attacker was then shot and killed by a good Samaritan who authorities said followed him into the school.
A seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were also taken to a local hospital with critical injuries.
A 16-year-old gunman reportedly shot through the locked doors of Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday afternoon and gained access to the school’s special education hallway
Police rushed to the school after reports of a shooting at about 1 p.m. Moments after arriving, officers learned that a good Samaritan had shot and killed the gunman
The gunman killed three children and a teacher whose age was not disclosed before a good Samaritan shot him. Police are shown responding to the elementary school Thursday afternoon
Officers arrived at about 1:02 p.m., but moments later were told that an unidentified community member had shot and killed the lone gunman after following him into the building.
Once inside, police confirmed that the suspect was dead.
As a precaution, officers searched the school room by room and evacuated the building while working to ensure there were no further threats to the community.
Additional officers wearing bulletproof vests and carrying assault rifles searched vehicles in the school parking lot. Parents, teachers and children huddled together, embracing one another and wiping away tears.
Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Dr. Steven Cook fought back tears as he thanked emergency responders and school staff for their efforts to protect students during the attack.
“Today, an unthinkable tragedy happened at Silver Rail Elementary School,” he said.
‘We are heartbroken. We are horrified. This is the kind of thing you hear about in other places and pray that it never happens here… today it happened to our children, our teachers and our families.’
As Cook uttered words to his community, his voice wavered when he thanked the heroic efforts of the school staff.
‘To our staff who helped our students and protected our kids today, we thank you. You did what no one should ever be asked to do. I am so grateful beyond words for your efforts,’ he said.
‘This is a time to love and care for one another…Please hold your loved ones tight tonight…We are going to rally and care for one another… We will get through this.’
Cook said the community was ‘stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy’.
Police had asked the public to avoid the area amid the investigation, but a large crowd of concerned parents were seen gathering outside the school after hearing the reports.
Family members reunited with students at the school at a nearby church
Bystanders had earlier gathered outside the elementary school on Thursday following reports of an active shooter
Officers asked the public to avoid the area as the school remains under lockdown, but a large crowd of concerned parents gathered outside the school after hearing the reports
Those worried parents rushed to the nearby Journey Church, to be reunited with their loved ones as officials evacuated the youngest children first.
As she waited for her nephew, Mindy Corley, the aunt of a fifth-grader at the school, told NBC News how he was left ‘very scared’ in the aftermath of the shooting.
She said he has a cellphone and was able to tell his mother he was OK, but ‘he was clearly very, very scared and wanted to go home.’
Martha Close, a grandmother of a 10-year-old girl at the school, also said that the reunification ‘seemed to take forever,’ during which time, ‘I just prayed.’
Steven and Angela Nuchols also told how they got their eight-year-old daughter, Charlotte, dressed up for picture day earlier on Thursday.
They then had to race to the school just a few hours later.
‘It was crawling with police officers from all over the country,’ Angela said. ‘You’ve got guys in tactical gear, rifles. You’re just scared to death wondering is your child OK? You don’t know.’
The couple was later reunited with their daughter, but Angela said it was ‘like the worst three hours of our lives.’
A motive for the shooting remains unclear, but federal officials are now aiding in the investigation
A police officer at the scene of the school is pictured speaking with a concerned resident following the tragedy
Onlookers gathered outside of the elementary school in the aftermath
A motive for the shooting remains unclear, and authorities would not confirm on Thursday night whether the suspect knew anybody at the school or if he had attended it when he was younger.
Federal agents from the FBI’s Portland Bureau and from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are now investigating the deadly shooting, with FBI Director Kash Patel vowing to ‘make every resource [local law enforcement needs] available.’
They have already determined that the suspect used a pump-action shotgun that was purchased by his mother to commit the violent attack, a law enforcement source told the Associated Press.
At a news conference on Thursday night, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the community member she said ‘heroically intervened’ and told how she had visited the school nearly one year ago.
‘My heart is absolutely broken today,’ she said. ‘No parent should have to have this kind of day.’
She then said it was time for the community to grieve.
A candlelight vigil was held for the victims of the shooting on Thursday night
Candles and flowers are seen at a makeshift memorial outside the Silver Rail Elementary School following the shooting
Community members have told how they were left shaken from the attack
‘There is going to be time for answering all those questions we all have right now and searching for more ways to prevent this from happening in the future,’ said Kotek, a Democrat. ‘But for now, let’s hold each other close in grief and put as much love into the world as possible.’
The school district has now canceled all classes, activities and athletic events that were scheduled for Friday.