Four killed in shooting at elementary school in Bend, Oregon

Four people, including three children and a teacher, were killed Thursday in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in central Oregon, according to Bend police.

(CNN)- Four people, including three children and a teacher, were killed Thursday in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in central Oregon, according to Bend police.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz identified the victims as three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and one teacher.

A 7-year-old child and another adult were taken to the hospital. Their conditions were not immediately released.

According to Krantz, police received a 911 call around 1 p.m. reporting that someone had fired shots into a vehicle.

Investigators say the suspect, a 16-year-old, forced his way into the elementary school carrying a long gun.

Officers arrived approximately three minutes after the initial emergency call.

Krantz said a community member who witnessed the suspect entering the school followed him inside and confronted him with a firearm.

“An officer reported that the suspect had been shot by a community member who had seen the suspect enter the school and pursued him into the school and engaged him,” Krantz said.

Authorities did not immediately provide additional details about the suspect’s condition.

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook announced that classes and activities in the area were canceled Friday following the shooting.

“This is the kind of thing you hear about in other places, and pray that it never happens here. And it has happened here,” Cook said.

Community members gathered to mourn the victims as the city struggled to process the tragedy.

Law enforcement analyst John Miller said the armed community member’s intervention may have prevented additional casualties, although the full circumstances remain under investigation.