A 16-year-old shooter killed three children and one teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, injuring two others. The shooter was killed after being pursued by a community member.
Shooting Details
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz announced that the victims included three children aged 5, 8, and 11, and one teacher. Additionally, another child and a teacher were injured and transported to the hospital.
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The initial call to emergency number 911 was reported around 1 PM local time by someone in a vehicle outside Silver Rail School, stating that shots were fired by an individual with a long weapon. Additional calls from inside the school were also received, and police officers arrived at the scene in less than a few minutes.
Response to the Incident
Hours after the incident, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek thanked the heroic actions of a community member who intervened to prevent further casualties. She stated, "No parent should have to experience such a day, and no community should have to endure it."
Silver Rail School, which serves students from kindergarten through fifth grade, has about 450 students and 40 staff members. Following the incident, authorities transported the students by bus to a separate location to reunite with their families.
Statistics show that the United States, despite having the highest gun-related death rate among high-income countries, faces similar incidents. According to the Gun Violence Archive, over 365 mass shootings have been recorded in the United States since the beginning of this year.
The recent incident in Bend is another school shooting in the United States, where deadly shootings have become commonplace. The deadliest school shooting in U.S. history occurred on April 16, 2007, at Virginia Tech, where a student killed 32 people and injured 17 others.
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