A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
A teenager shot open the locked doors of an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, where he killed at least three children and a teacher.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Local officials say the 16-year-old suspect was killed by a bystander who followed him into Silver Rail Elementary. Steve Cook is superintendent of the Bend-La Pine School District.
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STEVE COOK: We are heartbroken. We are horrified. This is the kind of thing you hear about in other places and pray that it never happens here. And it has happened here.
INSKEEP: Classes and after-school activities are canceled today across that district. In a moment, we'll speak with the former mayor of Bend, who lives near the affected school.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR's Arezou Rezvani has been following developments on this. Arezou, have authorities released any more details about the victims or even the suspected gunman?
AREZOU REZVANI, BYLINE: Well, the children who were killed were 5, 8 and 11 years old, according to officials. A teacher was also killed. Their names have not yet been released. Another child - a 7-year-old - and another teacher were also critically injured. As for the suspected shooter, the only details officials have shared is that he was 16 years old and a resident of Bend. It's unclear if he attended that school earlier in his life or if he knew anyone there at the time of the attack, and his motivations are still under investigation.
MARTÍNEZ: How did he get into the school?
REZVANI: It looks like he managed to enter by firing at locked doors. That's according to the Bend Police Department chief, Mike Krantz. I was looking at the website of the Bend-La Pine Schools last night, and something that stood out to me was how the district touts its security protocols. All schools in the district are said to have secure vestibules for sign-in. Visitors must present an ID, and electronic systems buzz people onto school grounds. But all of this clearly was not enough to keep the gunman from blowing right through.
MARTÍNEZ: How fast did officers get there?
REZVANI: It appears they responded within minutes. At 12:59, someone called 911 to report their vehicle was being shot at. Two minutes later, after the shooter entered the building, the school went into lockdown, according to Police Chief Krantz. And he said officers appeared on the scene a minute later. It was soon after that that the suspect was shot by someone at the scene who followed him into the school. At a press conference last night, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek commended that bystander.
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TINA KOTEK: And to the community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life, your actions carry a heavy emotional burden. And I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well.
REZVANI: It's not clear who the community member was. Whether he was a parent or some armed passerby who sprang into action is not yet confirmed.
MARTÍNEZ: A shooting like this is going to raise questions around gun laws. So what are Oregon's laws like?
REZVANI: So in recent years, voters in Oregon and the state have approved or enacted everything from a ban on high-capacity magazines to tougher background checks and permitting procedures to a prohibition on ghost guns, or 3D-printed guns. But some of these have yet to be implemented because they're being challenged in court by gun rights groups.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's NPR's Arezou Rezvani. Thank you very much.
REZVANI: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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