Oregon School Shooter Fired Mother's Shotgun at Truck Before Deadly Rampage

The 16-year-old gunman who killed three students and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, first fired his mother's shotgun at a pickup truck before entering the school, according to a report.

The unidentified shooter was heading toward the school around 1 p.m. Thursday when a man driving a red Toyota Tacoma pickup truck encountered him in the school parking lot. The boy, armed with the shotgun, fired at the truck, shattering its rear window and leaving multiple bullet holes. A law enforcement source confirmed the weapon was a pump-action shotgun owned by the shooter's mother.

After firing at the truck, the teenager allegedly threw the shotgun over a fence before climbing over it and entering school grounds. The driver of the truck immediately called emergency dispatchers to report being shot at.

The shooter then retrieved the shotgun, fired at the school's locks, and forced his way inside the building, which serves kindergarten through fifth graders.

Law enforcement arrived within three minutes of the initial 911 call. However, the gunman had already fatally shot three children, ages 5, 8, and 11, and a teacher. A 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were critically injured and hospitalized.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz stated that the shooter was killed by a community member who pursued him into the school and engaged him. Authorities have not released details regarding the identity of the bystander or whether they possessed a concealed weapons permit.

In Oregon, individuals must be 18 to purchase rifles and shotguns and 21 to buy handguns. Those under 18 can possess non-handgun firearms with parental consent, though it is unclear if the shooter had such consent for his mother's weapon. The Bend La Pines school district had previously banned firearms on its property, though state law permits unloaded, locked firearms in vehicles on school grounds.

Governor Tina Kotek thanked the community member who intervened, stating, "no one should have to live through this kind of day." State Representative Janelle Bynum expressed grief over the incident, calling it "heartbreaking" that a child was involved in the killing of other children.