Police search for clues in deadly Oregon school shooting

A 16-year-old gunman killed three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday before an armed bystander shot and killed him inside the building, according to The Guardian. Police had not formally named the shooter as of Friday morning, though NBC News, the Washington Post and the New York Times reported, citing law enforcement sources, that he was identified as 16-year-old John J Griffin II.

What happened at Silver Rail Elementary School?

Bend police chief Mike Krantz said the gunman forced his way into the school at about 1pm by firing at locked doors. The three children killed were ages five, eight and 11. A seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were hospitalized with critical injuries, authorities said. Bend police said the families of the victims had been notified, but as of Friday, officials had not publicly named the children, the teacher or the bystander who killed the shooter.

How did police respond?

Krantz laid out a minute-by-minute account of the response. "Within minutes," he said, dispatchers received "dozens of 911 calls" reporting that a shooter had entered the building.

"Our officers entered the building and confirmed 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.

Timeline of the shooting

• 12:59pm — Dispatch receives a 911 call from someone in a vehicle reporting being shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun.
• 1:01pm — Silver Rail Elementary goes into lockdown as 911 calls describe a shooter inside the building.
• 1:02pm — First Bend police officers arrive on scene.
• Moments later — An armed bystander who pursued the suspect into the school shoots and kills him, according to Krantz.

Who are the victims?

Authorities have released ages but not names. The data below reflects figures confirmed by Bend police through the Guardian's reporting.

By the numbers

• 4 people killed: three children (ages 5, 8 and 11) and a teacher
• 2 people hospitalized in critical condition: a seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher

Has the shooter been identified?

Not officially. Bend police had not confirmed a name as of Friday morning, according to the Guardian. NBC News, the Washington Post and the New York Times reported, citing law enforcement sources, that the shooter was a 16-year-old Bend resident identified as John J Griffin II. Police confirmed only that the suspect was a 16-year-old Bend resident who was killed at the scene.

What happens next for Bend schools?

Schools in the district were closed following the shooting, per the Guardian's reporting. Investigators continue to search for a motive and additional details on how the gunman obtained the weapon.

What to watch

• Whether Bend police formally name the shooter and the bystander who killed him
• Updates on the condition of the hospitalized child and teacher
• Any announcement on when Silver Rail Elementary and nearby schools reopen
• Further detail from investigators on how the suspect acquired the long gun used in the attack