A shooting at a primary school in Bend, Oregon, has left three children and a teacher dead.
A 16-year-old attacker forced his way inside before being shot dead by a bystander, police say.
The suspect, whose identity has not been released, reportedly fired at locked doors to enter Silver Rail Elementary School on Thursday afternoon.
Police received the first emergency call at 12:59 local time, followed by reports that the gunman had entered the school.
The children killed were aged five, eight and 11. A seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were hospitalised in critical condition.
Authorities have not established whether the teenager had any connection to the school.
Police Chief Mike Krantz said a community member pursued the attacker inside and “engaged him”, killing him before officers arrived.
Police reached the scene three minutes later and began searching the building.
Community Grieves, Safety Concerns Grow
The tragedy has devastated the local community. School district official Steven Cook said officials were “stunned and heartbroken”.
He added that no words could adequately express the community’s grief.
Classes were cancelled on Friday to give students, families and staff time to grieve.
The shooting also renews concerns about school safety in the United States.
According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, 235 shooting incidents occurred at American schools last year, with at least 140 recorded so far this year.
As families mourn, difficult questions remain about what drove the teenager to attack.
How schools can better protect children from such violence.
