Four people are dead and two are fighting for their lives after a shooting Thursday at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. Police say a 16-year-old entered the campus with a shotgun shortly before 1 p.m., killing three children, ages 5, 8, and 11, and one teacher. A 7-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher remain hospitalized in critical condition. The shooter was shot and killed inside the school by a parent, Kaylub Giamanco, who followed him into the building.
The first 911 call came at 12:59 p.m. from a driver who heard gunfire, and officers arrived at 1:02 p.m. Authorities have not released the shooter’s name, though his parents said he had attended the school, and investigators searched his home Thursday evening. Classes and activities are canceled Friday, with drop-in support events planned at two locations, and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has ordered flags at public institutions flown at half-staff.
For families here on the Suncoast, this is a story that travels. It raises hard questions about school safety, about how minors get access to firearms, and about what any of us would do in those first three minutes. We’ll be covering the aftermath and the local conversations it sparks all day on air.
What’s your reaction to this story? Do you feel confident in your school’s safety plan? Sound off in the comments.
