Armed Citizen Stops School Shooting After Gunman Kills 4, Wounds 2

A 16-year-old gunman opened fire inside Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, killing three children and one teacher in a horrific attack.

The gunman was killed by an armed citizen who observed the individual forcing entry into the school, and pursued the assailant, according to CBC News.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz revealed during a press conference that the three children killed were ages five, eight and 11. A seven-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher were also rushed to the hospital with critical injuries.

Krantz said that at 12:59 pm, they received a call from a person in a vehicle who reported “being shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun.”

Dozens of calls followed notifying police the gunman had entered the school, and “the officers responding to the scene directed the school to go into lockdown at 1:01 pm,” Kratz said.

He continued, “At 1:02 pm our first officers arrived on scene. Moments later, an officer reported the suspect had been shot by a community member who had seen the suspect entered the school, and pursued him into the school and engaged him.”

Police said the unidentified suspect was a male Bend resident. According to CBC News, he shot through locked doors to gain entry into the school.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek thanked the community member who “heroically intervened to stop further loss of life,” but did not disclose the individual’s identity.

🚨 JUST IN: A hero armed civilian who killed the Oregon elementary school shooter did it in BARELY **3 MINUTES** and even CNN just admitted that a good guy with a gun saved lives CNN HOST: "Thank God for that person." CNN ANALYST: "We can only IMAGINE [had] that person with a firearm NOT been there and taken that action — the fatalities and casualties could be worse!" THIS is why we need to promote good Americans with firearms. What a hero. Oregon is one of only five states where a concealed carry permit alone lets you carry on school grounds, though it’s unclear exactly the carrying situation this "bystander" was in Even CNN just admitted it.

“No parent should have to have this kind of day, and no community should ⁠have to live through this kind of day, and as we learn more about the children and the adults who have been killed or injured, and their families and their loved ones, ‌we are going to do a lot of crying, and we are going to cry together, and we’re probably going to cry privately,” Kotek said, according to CBC News.

Officials said Silver Rail Elementary School has approximately 450 students and 40 staff members, serving children from kindergarten through Grade 5. (RELATED: Gun Store Owner Puts His Truck On The Line To Stop Crooks)

The investigation into the tragedy remains ongoing.