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Five people, including three children and a teacher, have been killed in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, in the United States, after a 16-year-old gunman opened fire before being shot dead by a bystander.
Bend Police Chief, Mike Krantz, said the teenager forced his way into the school on Thursday afternoon by shooting at the locks on its doors.
The suspect, whose identity has not been released, was reportedly confronted by a community member who pursued him into the school and shot him dead.
The three children killed in the attack were aged five, eight and 11, police said.
A seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were also wounded and taken to hospital in critical condition. Their latest conditions were not immediately available.
Police have not established whether the attacker had any connection to the school or disclosed further details about the victims.
The Bend Police Department said it received an active-shooter report at about 12:59 p.m. local time after a caller reported that an unidentified suspect was firing a long gun at their vehicle.
Photographs from the scene showed a red truck riddled with bullet holes.
Minutes later, emergency dispatchers received 911 calls reporting that the gunman had entered the elementary school after shooting at its door locks to gain access.
A bystander witnessed the unfolding violence, followed the suspect into the building and fatally shot him, according to police.
Officers arrived approximately three minutes later, confirmed that the attacker was dead and proceeded to search the school.
The incident sent shockwaves through the community, prompting authorities to close schools in Bend on Friday to allow residents and families time to grieve and recover from the tragedy.
Steven Cook, the chief administrative official of the local school district, described the incident as a senseless tragedy.
“We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy,” Cook said in a statement.
“No words can adequately express the grief our community is experiencing.”
Silver Rail Elementary School has approximately 450 pupils and more than 40 adult staff members, police said.
The shooting has renewed concerns over school safety and gun violence in the United States, where attacks on educational institutions have remained a major public concern.
According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, the United States recorded 235 shooting incidents at schools in the previous year, with at least 140 reported so far this year.
