Image source, Reuters

Four people have died, including three children, after a school shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in the US state of Oregon yesterday. Here is a reminder of how some politicians have responded:

Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler said it was an "awful day" for the community which had a "profound impact on so many people, especially the children, families, educators and school staff whose lives have been forever changed".

"I'm struggling to make sense of a loss that feels unimaginable," she told a press conference yesterday evening, and added, addressing those impacted: "We grieve alongside you and we will get through this together."

Governor Tina Kotek told the same press conference that her heart is "absolutely broken" and the Oregon state is ready to support those in the community "in whatever you need".

She also thanked the "quick thinking and courage" of school staff, parents and first responders at the scene, and extended her thoughts 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."

Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley asked people to "hold the students, teachers, families, and entire Silver Rail Elementary School community in your hearts" as details emerge about the victims.

In a post on X, he said he was grateful to first responders and emergency personnel who responded to the "horrific shooting".

12:59 on Thursday: Local police receive a 911 call from a person in a vehicle saying they have been shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun

Several more phone calls were made to police in the ensuing few minutes, reporting a shooter had entered Silver Rail Elementary School

13:00: Police dispatch alerts local law enforcement

13:01: Officers responding to the scene directed the school to go into lockdown

13:02: The first officers arrive on the scene, where they find the suspected gunman dead. They then clear the school and administer emergency aid to the victims

Four other people, including three children aged five, eight and 11 and a teacher, are also found dead, while a seven-year-old and a 54-year-old teacher are transported to hospital with critical injuries

17:30: During a press briefing, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz confirms the suspect is a 16-year-old Bend resident. He also says the suspect was shot dead by a bystander after pursuing him into the school

19:00: A candlelit vigil is held at Drake Park, in Bend, to honour the victims of the attack

People affected by yesterday's shooting will be able to receive free support at walk-in events today.

Deschutes County Health Services announced a partnership with Bend-La Pine Schools and St Charles Health Services to provide "immediate support, connection and crisis stabilization tools" to the community.

The sessions will take place from 10:00 to 15:00 local time at Deschutes Public Library and from 16:00 to 19:00 local time at Larkspur Community Center.

Oregon has passed a broad range of gun safety laws in recent years, placing it 12th out of 50 states in terms of their strictness, according to gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.

The Oregon State Police conducts background checks on all people attempting to purchase firearms. Around 96% of background checks are approved within minutes, it says.

Reasons for a person being denied include having been convicted of a felony or found to be mentally ill and subject to an order prohibiting them possessing a firearm.

A person under the age of 18 cannot buy a firearm in Oregon. The state does allow juveniles to possess one with the permission of their parents but only for certain uses like hunting.

Image source, Reuters

Bend Education Association, the local teachers' union in the city, has said in a statement that "every student and every person who works in our schools deserves to be safe", following the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the union said the shooting, which killed four people, including three children, "reaches deeply into our entire community", adding: "Our hearts are with everyone affected."

"When violence happens in one of our schools, it reaches far beyond that building," the statement continued.

"It affects our families, our colleagues, and communities across our country."

In their update on Thursday evening, police said a member of the public stepped in to stop the shooting.

A bystander who saw the incident begin to unfold pursued the attacker into Silver Rail Elementary School and shot him dead, the force explained.

The identity of the bystander hasn't been made public but audio recordings of Emergency Medical Services dispatch suggested he could be the parent of a pupil.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the community member who "heroically intervened" to stop further loss of life.

She added: "Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well."

Fifth-grade teacher Kathy Sheil Smith was in her class with students when she spotted the suspected shooter approaching Silver Rail Elementary.

She told CNN-affiliate KPTV she immediately alerted the main office before instructing her students to move into a corner.

"They were so afraid," Sheil Smith said. "The looks on their faces was really hard to see."

"I'm sure that every teacher at the school thought, 'today is the day that I'm going to die'."

She also paid tribute to the member of the public who intervened to stop the 16-year-old suspect: "They did something, and that took its own courage."

Silver Rail Elementary School is located in Bend, Oregon, which has a population of about 100,000 people.

The central Oregon city, which sits in a desert under scenic volcanoes, has grown rapidly in recent years, in large part due to its access to outdoor activities.

Bend is located around 150 miles south of Portland, the state's largest city.

It contains the last Blockbuster rental video store in America, and is nearby to Mt Bachelor ski resort.

Image source, EPA/ Shutterstock

A local newspaper reporter told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the school was in lockdown during the shooting and students were able to communicate with parents outside with their Apple watches.

Michael Kohn, a reporter with The Bulletin, said the incident had left the parents stunned.

"This is a neighbourhood school," he said.

"It's just something you don't expect to happen in Bend, Oregon. It's a mountain town."

He said at a vigil last night people were mostly silent, and the few people who did speak said "this is not the sort of thing that we expected to happen here" and "the community is strong, the community will get through this".

Last night, people attended a community vigil at Drake Park following the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday.

Flowers and stuffed toys were placed on the floor and a circle of candles lit at the city's Drake Park, while adults and children wrote on the floor with chalk, paying tribute to the victims.

Michael Kohn, a reporter with local newspaper The Bulletin, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that most people were in "stunned silence" at the vigil.

Image source, EPA/ Shutterstock

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA/ Shutterstock

The Bend-La Pine Schools district says all schools will remain closed on Friday "due to the tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary School".

In a statement on its website, the district also notes that "all activities and athletic events" will be cancelled as well.

The district serves more than 16,000 students across 33 schools.

What we know:

• Three children and a teacher were killed at a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon on Thursday afternoon
• The suspect is a 16-year-old male who was killed by a bystander, who "pursued him into the school and engaged him", Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said
• The children killed were aged five, eight and 11
• A seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were also taken to hospital with critical injuries

What we don't know:

• The identities of the victims, the suspect and the bystander who killed the alleged shooter
• The current condition of the child and teacher taken to hospital
• The motive of the alleged shooter and what ties, if any, he had to the school

Image source, Reuters

We are restarting our coverage following a shooting at a primary school in the US state of Oregon in which four people were killed.

The shooting took place around 13:00 on Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary School, and the victims include three children - aged five, eight and 11 - and one teacher, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said yesterday.

A seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were also taken to a local hospital with critical injuries.

Police say they were called by someone who said shots had been fired at their car.

Officers say the suspect was a 16-year-old boy who entered the school and was killed by a bystander who pursued him into the school and shot him.

Schools throughout the city of Bend are closed today, with officials saying the community needs a moment to heal.

We are expecting to hear from authorities later and we will bring you the latest throughout this page.

Four people have been killed in a shooting at a primary school in the US state of Oregon.

The shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School began around 13:00, when police were called by someone who said shots had been fired at their car.

Immediately after, police began receiving emergency calls reporting that the suspect, who police say was a 16-year-old boy, had entered the school.

A bystander saw the shooting begin to unfold, pursued the attacker into the school and shot him dead, police said.

Three minutes later, officers arrived at the scene. They confirmed that the attacker had been killed, and then searched the school.

The victims included three children aged 5, 8 and 11 and one teacher, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said. A seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to a local hospital with "critical injuries", he said.

Schools throughout the city of Bend have been closed on Friday, with officials saying the community needs a moment to heal.

We're pausing our live coverage on this page, but you can read the latest here.

In case you missed it, you can watch local police chief Mike Krantz giving an initial update on the victims of the shooting.

We now have more details of what unfolded at the Silver Rail Elementary School.

• Five people were found dead at the scene, including the alleged shooter, police said.
• The victims included three children aged 5, 8 and 11 and one teacher, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said.
• A seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to a local hospital with "critical injuries".
• The shooter has been identified as a 16-year-old resident of Bend, and police confirmed that an officer reported "the suspect had been shot by a community member".

• Police said they received a call just before 13:00 from a "person in a vehicle who reported being shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun".
• Police then received dozens of 911 calls from inside the school. Officer arrived three minutes later when the school was already in lockdown.
• Officials are expected to give further information on Friday.

While providing details on the victims, local police chief Mike Kantz said "one seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher" were taken to hospital with "critical injuries".

They were taken to St Charles Bend hospital, Kantz said.

"The family of the victims have all been notified," he continued.

Police are asked what type of gun the suspect used and how many shots were fired.

Local police chief Mike Kantz said a "long gun" was in the shooting but he could not disclose the exact kind of gun right now.

He was also asked if the shooter knew anyone at the school, to which Kantz replied the police "don't have that information yet".

Steven Cook, the top administrative official of the local school district, says "we are heartbroken. We are horrified".

"This is the kind of thing you hear about in other places and pray that it never happens here," he says through tears.

"To the families that have had loss tonight, we are with you and we will stay with you," he continues.

Cook thanks the school staff who protected the students during the shooting.

"Hold your children, hold your loved ones tight tonight," he adds.

The suspect forced his way into the school by shooting at locked doors, Kantz says.

The police chief says that he doesn't have much information to provide on the suspect at the moment, including whether the attacker attended the school or if he knew any students.

He also declined to provide any name for the suspect.