The suspect in Thursday’s shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend was a teenager, according to new reporting from two national news organizations. CNN, in a report carried by KEYT, identified the suspect as a 16-year-old male, citing multiple law enforcement sources. The Associated Press separately cited a source who described him as 15 or 16. His age had not been publicly confirmed in the Bend Police statement reviewed for this article.
The new information follows reports that three children and one adult were killed at the southeast Bend school on October 15. CNN attributed those deaths to preliminary information from a law enforcement source and reported the shooter’s death separately. That adds clarity to our earlier coverage, which noted uncertainty about whether the suspect was included in the reported toll. The figures remain preliminary and should not be interpreted as evidence of another death since that report.
According to the Bend Police account, the emergency began at approximately 12:59 p.m. with a report that someone had fired into a vehicle outside the school at 61530 SE Stone Creek Lane. Within the next minute, additional callers reported that a person had entered the building and started shooting. Officers reached the scene at 1:02 p.m., and seconds later reported that the suspect had been shot and killed. Police said a bystander may have been involved, but had not established publicly who fired the fatal shot.
At least two people were transported to St. Charles Bend, and their conditions had not been released in the police statement. Authorities confirmed that children were among the victims without specifying whether they were the people transported. As officers evacuated classrooms, families were directed to Journey Church at 61303 S. Highway 97 for reunification. Police asked the public to avoid both locations while emergency operations continued.
For families across Central Oregon, questions remain about how the attack unfolded and what comes next for the school community. Superintendent Steven Cook expressed grief for those affected and said the district’s immediate priorities were supporting students and staff and assisting emergency responders. Officials scheduled a 5:30 p.m. Thursday briefing with Police Chief Mike Krantz, Cook, Mayor Melanie Kebler and Governor Tina Kotek. The official advisory provides an English livestream and a Spanish livestream for residents following the updates.
This developing story includes preliminary reporting attributed to law enforcement sources. The suspect’s reported age, casualty figures and circumstances of his death remain subject to further clarification.
