Full press conference: Bend, Oregon school shooting

[0:00] Thank you. My name is Mike Krantz, the chief of police in the city of Bend. First of all, I, we want to extend our deepest condolences to our entire community. This is a terrible tragedy and we're working hard to investigate this incident and get as much information as possible out to the public. These things take time and we appreciate your patience as we work through this very difficult process. [0:25] At 12.59 p.m. today, Deschutes County Dispatch received a 911 call from a person in a vehicle who reported being shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun. In the ensuing several minutes, dispatch received dozens of 911 calls reporting that a shooter had entered the building at Silver Rail Elementary School on southeast Stone Creek Lane in Bend, Oregon. Dispatch used a tone to alert all law enforcement at 1 p.m. one minute later. [0:57] Officers responding to the scene directed the school to go into lockdown at 1.01 p.m. At 1.02 p.m., our first officers arrived on scene. Moments later, an officer reported that a 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. Our officers entered the building and confirmed the suspect was dead. They cleared the school to ensure there were no additional threats and then rendered emergency aid to the victims. [1:29] Officers at the scene located five people who had succumbed to their injuries, including the suspect. The deceased at the scene include three children, ages 5, 8, and 11, and one teacher. One seven-year-old child and one 54-year-old teacher were transported by Bend Fire to St. Charles Bend with critical injuries. The families of the victims have all been notified. [1:56] We have identified the suspect as a 16-year-old Bend resident. Law enforcement personnel, including Bend Police, Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, Redmond Police, Oregon State Police, and our federal law enforcement partners and others worked together to methodically evacuate each room of the building and continue this investigation. [2:16] All students and staff at the scene were transported by Bend LaPine school buses to Journey Church for reunification with families and guardians, and that process is still ongoing. [2:29] In August, every Bend Police officer went through a full day of active threat training at a local high school. Unfortunately, this is something we train for on a regular basis, and we must. [2:39] This is going to be a long investigation. We will have a large police presence at Silver Rail Elementary School for the next several days, as our officers continue to conduct a very thorough investigation so we get all the answers. [2:52] We appreciate your patience as we continue to investigate this terrible tragedy. This is something we never want to happen anywhere, but especially and particularly in our beautiful community here in Bend. [3:03] There are not really any words I can say to any of you that will make this better, but please know that we are working hard to ensure that we conduct a thorough investigation. [3:15] This is a time that we know this deeply impacts the community and ask everyone to lean on each other and be there for each other. Thank you. [3:29] Next up, we'll hear from Bend LaPine school's superintendent, Steve Cook. [3:33] Thank you, Sheila. Today, an unthinkable tragedy happened at Silver Rail Elementary School. [3:44] No community should have to do what we're doing right now. [3:49] I don't have any words for what this community is feeling right now, and I don't think anyone does. [3:55] 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. [4:07] Today, it happened to our children, to our teachers, and to our families. [4:13] To the families that have had loss tonight, we are with you and we will stay with you. [4:18] To our staff, who helped our students and protected our kids today, we thank you. [4:25] You did what no one should ever be asked to do. I am so grateful, beyond words, for your efforts. [4:33] To our community, I echo what Chief Krantz says. [4:36] This is a time to love and care for one another and to show compassion for the victims and the families and their loved ones. [4:41] All of our schools and communities, all of our schools and activities are canceled for tomorrow. [4:49] We will have crisis counselors available at the Central Library for our students, for our families, for our employees, and anyone in this community that needs support right now. [5:00] This is for everyone. [5:01] Please hold your children, hold your loved ones tight tonight. [5:05] Let them talk, let them cry, let them know we are going to rally and care for one another in this community. [5:14] We will get through this, but not yet. [5:17] We must grieve for the loss of our community members. [5:21] Thank you. [5:26] Next up, we'll hear from Bend Mayor Melanie Keebler. [5:35] Today is an awful day for our community. [5:37] Our hearts are broken as we mourn this tragedy and the profound impact it has had on so many people, especially the children, families, educators, and school staff whose lives have been forever changed. [5:54] A school should be a safe place where children can learn and feel secure. [6:00] What happened today should never happen. [6:04] Like so many in our community, I'm struggling to make sense of a loss that feels unimaginable. [6:09] I encourage our community to find comfort in one another and to support the families, students, teachers, and school staff who are carrying an enormous burden today. [6:22] In the coming days, there will be opportunities to gather, including a community vigil tonight, to mourn together, honor those affected and those lost, and begin a difficult process of healing. [6:34] On behalf of the City of Bend, I extend my deepest condolences to every person impacted by this tragedy. [6:40] We grieve with you, and we will support one another through the difficult days ahead. [6:46] No matter how you're feeling right now, angry, sad, devastated, numb, those are valid feelings. [6:54] And in the coming days, we're all going to need to lean on each other for support. [6:59] So, Bend, your leaders are with you. [7:01] We are here for you. [7:03] We grieve alongside you, and we will get through this together. [7:06] Thank you. [7:09] And finally, we'll hear from Oregon Governor Tina Kotek. [7:12] I want to start by thanking and praising the quick thinking and courage of the Silver Rail Elementary School staff and parents and the first responders who rushed to the scene this afternoon. [7:33] 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. [7:46] Almost a year ago, I was at Silver Rail Elementary School. [7:52] I spent time with the educators and community members calling parents to congratulate them on the attendance that their students were showing in the school. [8:03] And I heard the joy and the excitement from those parents in those conversations. [8:07] So, my heart is absolutely broken today, and our hearts will stay broken in the days and weeks ahead. [8:15] And my daily prayers will be with this community, with the children, with the parents, and with the educators. [8:24] All Oregonians mourn this loss today. [8:27] This is a horrible day. [8:29] No parent should have to have this kind of day. [8:32] And no community should have to live through this kind of day. [8:36] 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. [8:48] And we are going to cry together, and we're probably going to cry privately. [8:55] We must come together and support each other, neighbor to neighbor, Oregonian to Oregonian. [9:03] The Oregon Department of Emergency Management is coordinating right now across multiple state agencies. [9:09] And I just want everyone here in this community to know that the state stands ready to support you in whatever you need. [9:17] There is going to be time for answering all those questions that we all have right now, and searching for more ways to prevent this from happening in the future. [9:25] But for now, let's hold each other close in grief, and put as much love into the world as possible. [9:35] Thank you. [9:40] Okay, we have time for a few questions. [9:42] I would ask that you raise your hands, and I will take a few. [9:46] We'll start with Spencer from KTVC. [9:48] This is KTVC. [9:50] What kind of long gun was used, and how many shot were fired? [9:54] The question was what kind of long gun was used, and how many shots were fired? [10:01] Yes, thank you. [10:02] At this point, with the investigation being so orderly, we're not going to release any information about the specific type of weapon or how many rounds were fired. [10:09] But as reported, it was a long gun when we received that information. [10:13] Anyone else? [10:18] Go ahead. [10:18] I noticed a large police presence at some apartments near the school. [10:24] Is that related to the shooting? [10:25] The question was there was a large police presence at an apartment complex nearby the school, and was that related? [10:33] Unfortunately, I don't have the exact details of which complex you're speaking of. [10:37] However, I can say that we had dozens and dozens of police vehicles, emergency vehicles, fire vehicles arriving and assisting. [10:46] So it could have been a staging area that you're speaking of, but there was vehicles saturating the streets and the parking lots all around Silver Rail. [11:00] Did the shooter know anyone at the school? [11:02] The question is, did the shooter know anyone at the school? [11:09] Unfortunately, I'm not going to answer that at this point. [11:11] We just don't have that information yet from this investigation. [11:19] Yeah, go ahead, Tyson. [11:20] What resources are available for students and teachers at this time? [11:24] The question was, what resources are available for students and other community members at this point? [11:32] At this point, we're rallying up crisis counselors across the region that are going to help support our families and families of students and our staff that have experienced this event. [11:42] And that's, as I mentioned, that'll be starting tomorrow night, or excuse me, tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., available for anybody that needs it at the Central Library. [11:54] Go ahead. [11:55] Can you tell us any more about how the shooter got into the school and how far into the school they made it? [11:59] Sure. [12:00] The question was, how did the shooter gain access to the school and how far did they make it? [12:05] Chief, would you ask? [12:06] Yes, from what the initial investigation is showing, is that the shooter had forced their way into the school by shooting at locked doors. [12:22] I'm sorry. [12:23] You asked how far they made it in. [12:24] I don't have that information at this point. [12:27] Spencer, go ahead. [12:28] The Good Samaritan, what gun was he using? [12:31] How many shots fired? [12:32] Did he have a CCW? [12:34] What can you tell us about the person? [12:36] The question is, the person who stopped the suspect, what type of gun did he have, and did he have a concealed weapons permit, Chief? [12:46] Yes. [12:47] Again, at this point, so early investigation, I don't have those details yet. [12:51] We do suspect we'll have more of that information as we do some follow-up media information releases. [12:59] And, Peyton, go ahead, last question. [13:00] Did the shooter attend the school at some point? [13:02] The question is whether the shooter attended the school at one point, and I think the Chief answered that we are still investigating the shooter, [13:09] and we'll try and have more information about that tomorrow. [13:12] That's about all the time that we have now. [13:15] As I mentioned, we know that there's a ton more questions, and we plan to host another media conference. [13:22] Tomorrow afternoon, we will send out a media advisory. [13:26] If you have additional questions, media inquiries at this point, you can contact me. [13:31] And we appreciate you being here, and we will hopefully be able to answer some more things tomorrow. [13:37] Thank you. [13:37] And if you are just joining us, we just saw a news conference with Bend City officials, [13:44] Chief of Police, as well as the superintendent of the school district there, as well as Oregon's governor, [13:51] all talking about the elementary school shooting in Bend that occurred earlier this afternoon, [13:57] killing three children as well as an adult. [14:00] At that news conference, we learned that the three children were ages 5, 8, and 11. [14:06] A teacher also died. [14:08] A 7-year-old and 54-year-old teacher are both in critical condition at this point. [14:13] Obviously, a lot of prayers for them on what the superintendent is calling a day of heartbreak, [14:17] being horrified, the kind of thing you pray never happens here. [14:20] All right. [14:21] All right. [14:21] Yeah, [14:21] lots of questions. [14:21] All right. [14:22] All right. [14:34] All right. [14:34] All right.