The children who died were 5, 8 and 11 years old. Police had not released the victims’ identities or the deceased teacher’s age by Thursday evening. Authorities also had not identified the shooter or the parent who intervened, or said what connection the teenager may have had to the school.

The first 911 call came at 12:59 p.m., reporting a person had fired a shot into a car outside the school. At 1 p.m., dispatchers received multiple calls that someone had entered the building and was shooting. Bend police arrived at 1:02 p.m.; officers soon confirmed the suspect was dead.

Police said the teenager entered by shooting at the school’s locked doors. A responding officer reported that a community member had seen the suspect enter and followed him inside before engaging him. Police said the intervening person was a parent of one or more students.

Gov. Tina Kotek said at an evening news conference that her heart was “absolutely broken” and thanked the community member for acting to stop further loss of life. She also acknowledged the emotional weight of the intervention.

The school, southeast of downtown Bend, serves about 450 students and has roughly 40 staff members. Bend-La Pine Schools says its buildings have secure entrance vestibules, cameras and partnerships with local police that include armed school resource officers. A 2022 voter-approved bond funded new classroom door-locking hardware at Silver Rail, allowing doors to be locked with a switch.

Police had not explained how the gunman got past the entrance system. The school was evacuated room by room, and students were taken by bus to Journey Church, where they were reunited with their families. The district said parents had to show identification and complete forms to pick up children. The final students were reportedly collected around 5:45 p.m.

The district canceled classes, activities and athletics events for Friday. Victims were taken to St. Charles Medical Center, police spokesperson Sheila Miller said. Law enforcement agencies from across Central Oregon responded, and officials urged the public to stay away from the area.

“This is the kind of thing we never want to see happen in Bend,” Miller said at an afternoon news conference, describing the shooting as devastating. Superintendent Steven Cook said the district’s immediate priorities were caring for students and staff and assisting emergency responders.

Sarah Barclay, president of the Bend-La Pine Education Association, said school staff had acted bravely to protect students. “The school deserves to be safe. Kids deserve to learn. This should not happen,” she said.

The shooting adds to a history of deadly school violence in Oregon, including the 1998 shooting at Thurston High School in Springfield, the 2014 shooting at Reynolds High School in Troutdale and the 2015 mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg.

Kotek said officials would have time to answer questions and consider prevention, but urged Oregonians to support one another as the community grieves.