Three children and a teacher were killed on Oct. 15 after a 16-year-old opened fire at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. An armed bystander fatally shot the suspected teen gunman, according to federal officials.
Among the critically injured is 7-year-old Saylor, a child previously honored in Bend as a “Sparrow” through a program supporting kids facing serious medical challenges. She is now fighting for her life after being shot in the face.
The motive of the 16-year-old shooter has not been established. It is not known whether he was bullied at Silver Rail or any other school, and there is no evidence at this point that bullying played any role in the attack.
Federal and local officials have not released additional details on the shooter’s background or the circumstances leading up to the attack. Police dispatch audio from the incident has been released.
What past attacks show
A Secret Service report titled “Protecting America’s Schools” examined 41 targeted school attacks. Among the 35 attackers whose backgrounds were analyzed, all of them male, 80% had experienced bullying, and for 57% that bullying was persistent.
Those findings do not establish a cause in the Bend shooting. They do reflect a pattern researchers have found across other past attacks.
The man who stopped the shooting has been described as an armed bystander. He, along with a teacher and a student killed in the attack, have been identified by authorities, though this account does not include names beyond those already noted.
The community in and around Bend is mourning the loss of three children and a teacher, with Saylor and other injured victims still fighting for recovery.
