Students at the Oregon elementary school where a gunman killed three children and a teacher were dressed for picture day during the massacre.
Parents Steven and Angela Nuchols told The Source that it was picture day for Silver Rail Elementary School, and their eight-year-old daughter had dressed up for the occasion when the gunman stormed the school.
An unidentified 16-year-old entered the school on Thursday armed with a pump-action shotgun police say was purchased by his mom.
He killed three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher, before he was shot by a person at the scene who followed him inside, authorities said.
Police said they did not know if the shooter knew anyone at the school or whether he had attended.
A man in a red Toyota Tacoma pickup truck idling in the school’s parking lot noticed the teen heading toward the school and decided to confront him.
In turn, the gunman fired numerous shots at the civilian and his truck, shattering a rear window and leaving six large bullet holes in his vehicle.
‘Shattered out that f**king window. Went up right through the f**king windshield, right above my f**king head. Holy s**t,’ the man said in his video.
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Students were dressed up for picture day during the massacre
Parents Steven and Angela Nuchols told The Source that it was picture day for the school, and their eight-year-old daughter had dressed up for the occasion when the gunman stormed the school.
‘It was crawling with police officers from all over the county,’ Angela said.
‘You’ve got guys in tactical gear, rifles. You’re just scared to death wondering, is your child okay? You don’t know.’
The couple was reunited with their daughters hours later.
‘It’s like the worst three hours of our lives,’ Angela said.
Witness describes speaking with man whose truck was shot by gunman
Justin Penfield told NBC News his six-year-old son is a kindergartener at Silver Rail Elementary School and was in gym class during the shooting.
Penfield and his wife ran to the school when they learned about the shooting and saw a man with ‘about seven or eight gunshot holes in his truck.’
The man was a mechanic who was coming back from lunch when he saw the gunman walk toward the school, according to Penfield.
The mechanic thought it was odd, so he confronted the gunman, who in turn fired at his truck.
‘I could imagine he was in shock,’ Penfield said.
The mechanic called 911, and another person followed the gunman into the school and shot him, according to Penfield.
Where is Silver Rail Elementary?
Silver Rail Elementary School is in Bend, Oregon, approximately 125 miles southeast of Portland.
The school, which serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade, had 459 enrolled students as of last year, according to the Oregon Department of Education.
School district closed for the day
The Bend-La Pine School District announced that all 32 schools in the district will be closed on Friday.
‘Due to the tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary School, all schools are canceled Friday,’ the district said, noting this includes all activities and athletic events as well.
Memorial forms outside Silver Rail Elementary School
As the sun rises in Oregon, a memorial has begun to form outside Silver Rail Elementary School one day after a gunman killed three students and a teacher.
The school is cordoned off with police tape, and flowers were laid out front.
What we know about the Bend elementary school shooter
The teenage shooter who killed three children and a teacher at an Oregon elementary school on Thursday was shot dead by a bystander, but his identity remains unknown.
An unnamed 16-year-old stormed Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend at around 12.59pm armed with a pump-action ‘long gun,’ similar to a rifle or shotgun, that police said had been purchased by his own mother.
Police have described the suspected gunman only as a Bend resident, with no motive yet established for the attack. Investigators have also not said how far into the school he got before unleashing a barrage of gunfire.
It remains unclear whether he had any connection to Silver Rail Elementary School or had attended it when he was younger.
Oregon governor reacts to Bend school shooting
During a press conference on Thursday, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said her heart was ‘absolutely broken’ and thanked the civilian who pursued the shooter.
‘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,’ she said.
Fifth-grade student ‘very scared’ after shooting
A fifth-grade student at Silver Rail Elementary was ‘very scared’ after the shooting, according to his aunt.
Mindy Corely told NBC News that her nephew had a phone and could tell his mother he was okay during the shooting.
‘He was clearly very, very scared and wanted to go home,’ she said.
‘This affects all of us. We all pull together as an even larger community, not just Bend. All of central Oregon is affected by this.’
Elementary school had made security improvements in the past decade, records show
The Bend elementary school where four people were shot and killed has made security improvements over the past decade, records show.
Silver Rail Elementary has a secure entry system and visitor screening program, according to records KGW obtained.
The school also installed new classroom door locks that let teachers lock the door from the inside, after Bend-La Pine School District set aside nearly $250,000 in bond funds for the improvement.
Gunman used shotgun purchased by his mother
The teenage gunman who opened fire on an Oregon elementary school used a shotgun bought by his mother to kill four people, including three children, police revealed.
Shots were fired at Silver Rail Elementary School at around 12.59pm when a 16-year-old gunman armed himself with a pump-action shotgun police say was purchased by his mom.
A law enforcement official briefed on the shooting told The Associated Press the teen used a pump-action shotgun that was purchased by his mother.
TV anchor breaks down in tears as he reports news that Bend school shooting victims included children
KTVZ evening news anchor Lee Anderson and his co-host Kelsey Merison were reporting live from the studio Thursday, just hours after a 16-year-old gunman shot his way through a ‘secure vestibule’ and into the special education area at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend.
Vigil held for Silver Rail Elementary School victims
Community members of Bend, Oregon, held a candlelight vigil on Thursday night at Drake Park following the deadly shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School.
