'A Devastating Day for Oregon': Suspect Dead, Kids Among Victims in Elementary School Shooting

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The shooter is dead, and "children are among the victims" of a Thursday shooting at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, according to a police spokesperson.

After Bend Police Department spokesperson Sheila Miller's press conference, CNN reported that the shooter was a 16-year-old boy, and "three children and one adult were killed," citing law enforcement.

Separately, The Associated Press reported that "authorities believe at least five people are dead," but "it wasn't clear if the suspect was included among the five."

Miller told journalists that just minutes after receiving 911 calls that an unknown man had shot into a car and a person had entered the school, police officers were on the scene at 1:02 pm Pacific time, and they reported that the suspect had been shot and killed inside the school, possibly by a bystander.

The spokesperson said that there were multiple victims, including children, and at least two people were transported to the medical facility St. Charles Bend, but did not provide any details about fatalities other than the suspect.

Miller added that there will be a large law enforcement presence in the area, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel confirmed that includes FBI agents. A reunification location for families has been set up at Journey Church.

As The Oregonian reported:

Kayla Jensen, the president of the school’s Parent Teacher Organization, said she and other parents were gathered at the church, awaiting word about their children.“ We are unsure. We have not gotten any news. We are all here,” Jensen said. She said she could not offer any further comment.

"We are stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy," Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said in a statement. "We extend our deepest sympathy to the families and to everyone affected by this violence."

"No words can adequately express the grief our community is experiencing," Cook added. "Our immediate priorities are caring for our students and staff and assisting law enforcement and emergency responders."

US Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said that "as details continue to come out, my heart is with the Bend community and all of the students and families affected. No one should have to fear violence at school."

Congresswoman Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) wrote on social media that "this is a devastating day for Oregon. My heart is with the Bend community, and every family who is being impacted by this tragic, senseless shooting. Schools should be places of learning, friendship, and joy. It is incumbent on me, and every lawmaker, to do everything we can to ensure our kids are safe."

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also stressed the need for policy action, saying: "My heart is with the victims of today’s shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School and their loved ones now facing the consequences of another school shooting in America. Once again, we must ask how many schools must be shot up before Republicans agree to act to curb gun violence."

Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of the advocacy group Moms Demand Action, said that "today, families in Bend are living through every parent's worst nightmare... No parent should have to wonder whether the school drop-off will be the last time they see their child. This is not normal, and we cannot allow it to become normal."

"In an average year, 655 people die and 719 are wounded by guns in Oregon," she noted. "Guns are also the leading cause of death among children and teens in the state, with an average of 34 children and teens dying by guns every year."

Giffords—a gun violence prevention group led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat who survived an assassination attempt—said that "our hearts are with the terrified children and the families anxiously waiting to hear that their loved ones are safe. We cannot keep accepting this as a fact of life."

The former congresswoman similarly said that "my heart is completely broken for the children, families, teachers, and entire Silver Rail Elementary community in Bend, Oregon today. Elementary school should be about jungle gyms, math class, and making new friends—not learning where to hide from a shooter. We cannot keep asking our children to be brave enough to survive school shootings. Our leaders must be brave enough to stop them."