BEND, Ore. — Officials are lauding the actions of a local who they say chased down and shot a teenage gunman who killed three children and a teacher at an Oregon elementary school.
A day after the mass shooting that also critically wounded a fourth student and another teacher, well-wishers laid flowers Friday against the sign outside of Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, an outdoorsy city of about 100,000 in central Oregon that is ringed by mountains.
At a news conference hours after Thursday's attack, Gov. Tina Kotek praised the person who followed the gunman into the school, saying they helped end the rampage as police began arriving on the scene and likely saved lives.
“To the community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life: Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well,” said Kotek.
Like police, the Democratic governor didn't provide any details about the person who intervened, including whether they have a link to the school and whether it was a shot they fired that killed the attacker.
Memorials with flowers, balloons and stuffed animals popped up around the school, which sits in a densely packed neighborhood filled with newly built homes.
Brooke Olsen, whose daughter is a kindergartener at Silver Rail, said she was amazed that a member of the public pursued the shooter.
“I think it’s miraculous that someone was there before law enforcement even arrived to stop further tragedy from happening," Olsen said Friday, weeping at times. "I’m feeling very grateful.”
The shooter used a gun bought by his mom
The 16-year-old suspect, identified only as a Bend resident, was found dead inside the school minutes after the first calls for help, Police Chief Mike Krantz said. Police said he got into the school by shooting through locked doors.
The children who were killed were ages 5, 8 and 11, Krantz said. Authorities didn’t give details about the teacher who was killed. Another 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were wounded in the attack and were taken to a hospital in critical condition, he said.
The attacker used a pump-action shotgun that was purchased by his mother, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.
Under Oregon law, a minor may possess a shotgun if provided by a parent or by someone else with the parent’s consent.
Police said they didn't know if the shooter knew anyone at the school or if he had attended it.
Police respond within minutes
The first 911 call came early in the afternoon from someone outside the school who reported being shot at by someone with a long gun, the police chief said. More 911 calls came from inside the school, and officers arrived within minutes, police spokesperson Sheila Miller said.
The attacker was shot and went down inside the school shortly after officers arrived, she said.
The school has students in kindergarten through fifth grade, with about 450 enrolled last year, according to the Oregon Department of Education.
Children were taken by bus to a nearby church serving as a reunification center for families. Parents hugged, kissed and held their kids’ hands as they walked to their cars, with some bringing along favorite stuffed animals or other comfort items from home.
A community grieves
Shaken residents held a vigil Thursday night, where children drew hearts in chalk on the sidewalk and held candles side-by-side with adults.
Classes and all other activities were canceled Friday for the area’s 32 schools.
Bend, the biggest city in central Oregon, is about 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Portland. It has ballooned in population over the past three decades and is a tourism and outdoor recreation hub.
The shooting was the 28th mass killing in the U.S. this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
Just four years ago in Bend, a grocery store employee who had served in the U.S. Army attacked a gunman who was spraying shots inside the supermarket. Both the employee, whom police hailed as a hero, and a customer were killed, and the gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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Durkin and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City, Gene Johnson in Seattle, Ed White in Detroit and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.