Police Respond to Active Shooter at Silver Rail Elementary; Children Among the Victims

Police responded to reports of an active shooter at Silver Rail Elementary in southeast Bend, according to an alert police sent out Thursday afternoon.

An armed assailant is dead after opening fire at Silver Rail Elementary School shortly before 1 pm on Oct. 15 in Southeast Bend. The assailant has died. Two victims have been transported to St. Charles Medical Center. Credit: Peter Madsen

The alert at 1:17 p.m. came with limited details but described a “large police presence” at the school, encouraging the public to avoid the area.

Ten minutes later, police announced a reunification location for families was set up at Journey Church, 61303 S Highway 97 near Goodwill and Dairy Queen. “Students’ families are asked to respond there,” the alert said.

Bend PD, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Redmond Police and Bend Fire & Rescue swarmed the school campus.

According to Bend Police spokesperson Sheila Miller, police received a report of an active shooter at 12:58pm, and responded to the school at 1:02 pm. Within moments, the shooter was dead, Miller said, adding that it’s not yet clear who shot the shooter.

Two other people were transported to St. Charles Medical Center in unknown condition. Children are among the victims, Miller said.

Police were still working to clear the building Thursday afternoon.

Parents, teachers, children and passerby huddled in the aftermath of a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School Thursday afternoon. Credit: Peter Madsen

Source reporters on the ground spoke with Justin Penfield, who shared photos of a truck allegedly shot at by the shooter before entering the school. Reports from the ground are that a man carrying a gun and wearing a bandolero filled with cartridges around his waist was spotted by a man driving a red Tacoma pickup. The driver confronted the gunman, sources said, who fired numerous times at the passerby and at his truck, shattering a rear window. The assailant then allegedly threw his gun over the school fence before jumping over. Witnesses told the Source the gunman then entered the special education area of the school, where at least three additional shots were heard.

Bend Police confirmed they’re investigating the report of shots being fired into a vehicle.

Justin Penfield shared this photo of the shot-out window of a truck being driven by a passerby who allegedly saw the shooter with a gun and confronted him outside the school. Credit: Justin Penfield

Parents received alerts that nearby schools including Caldera High School and Jewell Elementary went into lockdown Thursday afternoon, but those alerts were lifted as of 2pm Thursday.

In the aftermath, police officers carrying bullet-proof vests and assault rifles peered into vehicles parked in the school lot. Parents, teachers and children huddled together, embracing and wiping tears from faces.

—This is a breaking story and will be updated.