Bend, Oregon, elementary school shooting: 3 children, 1 teacher killed; teen suspect dead
(Getty Images stock photo/Matt Gush)
Three children and one teacher are dead after a shooter forced his way into an elementary school in Oregon on Thursday afternoon and opened fire, authorities said.
The suspected shooter, a 16-year-old, was fatally shot by a community member who saw the teen going into the Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz told reporters at a news conference Thursday evening.
The three children who were killed were 5, 8 and 11 years old.
In addition, a 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to the hospital with critical injuries, police said.
Police have not publicly identified the suspected shooter saying only that he is a Bend resident. They have not said whether he attended the school or knew anyone at the school.
How the shooting unfolded
The incident began unfolding shortly before 1 p.m. PT Thursday.
At 12:59 p.m., police received a call from a driver who reported being shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun, the police chief said.
Shortly afterward, the Deschutes County dispatch center began receiving multiple 911 calls that a shooter had entered Silver Rail Elementary School.
Krantz said the initial investigation indicates the shooter “forced” his way inside the school by shooting at locked doors.
At 1:01 p.m., the school was directed to go into lockdown, Krantz said.
A minute later, officers arrived on the scene. An officer reported that the suspected shooter had been shot by a community member who had seen the teen entering the school, pursued him and engaged him, Krantz said.
Police have not yet released any information about the bystander who stopped the suspect, but said they would likely share additional information on Friday.
Bystander ‘heroically intervened,’ governor says
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek thanked teachers, staff and first responders who rushed to the scene and thanked the community member who she said “heroically intervened to stop further loss of life.”
Following the shooting, police said they evacuated the school room by room. A reunification site for families was set up at a nearby church.
Classes, activities and athletic events at all Bend-La Pine Schools are canceled for Friday, school officials said.
Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook called the shooting an “unthinkable tragedy” and said, “We are heartbroken. We are horrified.”
The shooting sparked a large police presence as law enforcement and first responders raced to the gym.
“Everything they were doing seemed highly trained and highly prepared for this,” Caleb Weis, who was riding his motorcycle near the school at the time, told ABC News.
“I didn’t see as many phones out recording as you see on many other occasions, just a kind of a shock factor and an immense amount of respect for the law enforcement, first responders,” he said.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency was on the scene assisting in the investigation.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also en route to the school, according to a source.
Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said they are “stunned and heartbroken by this senseless tragedy.”
Classes, activities and athletic events at all Bend-La Pine Schools are canceled for Friday.
In this mugshot released by Franklin County Jail, 19-year-old Tycen Proper is shown. He was charged by federal prosecutors in Ohio in the alleged UFC plot foiled. (Franklin County Jail)
(KNOX COUNTY, Ohio) — A series of phone calls from a concerned mother helped set in motion what turned out to be a nationwide investigation that uncovered an alleged plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House last weekend and led to the arrest of one of the suspects, according to authorities.
ABC News obtained phone calls made to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio, including one by the mother of 19-year-old Tycen Proper, whom federal prosecutors have charged with conspiring against the United States, attempted murder of an officer of the U.S., and firearms crimes in connection with the alleged plot.
Authorities said Proper’s mother first called her cousin, who happens to be the chief deputy of the sheriff’s office, on June 10 — just four days before the White House event was set to take place. The deputy chief later called the dispatch center to describe his conversation with Proper’s mother and asked if a Danville, Ohio, police officer was available to go to her house and talk with her, according to the recordings obtained by ABC News.
“They are having some issues with their son, and I think, I don’t think anybody’s in immediate danger, as in this second, but I know she has concerns with weapons and ammo, and particularly a mindset that her oldest boy is in right now,” the cousin said.
“She’s probably going to call you,” the cousin added, “But in case she doesn’t, maybe dispatch him [a Danville police officer] up there right away so that he can get a handle on what’s going on. She called me on my phone all panicky, and I’m like, ‘Well, I’m at home, there’s nothing I can do, but I’ll call and get somebody on the way.'”
The dispatcher immediately issued a radio call to send an officer to Proper’s home, saying that the mother had “concerns about her son and having problems with him. She did mention something about guns and ammo and wanting somebody to check out,” according to the call recording.
A short time later, the mother called dispatch and said she wanted to file a report about her son to have it on record. The dispatcher asked if her son was there.
“Yes, we just got all of his guns and ammo out of his room and put it, got it out off our property. He just came inside and he’s probably going to discover it’s not in his room,” Proper’s mother replied.
“What’s going on, though? Is he like, is he suicidal? What’s going on?” the dispatcher asked.
“Oh no, he’s just … I don’t … we don’t even know what he’s wanting to do. He’s wanting to leave this weekend and go with a group of people to help, like, fight the corrupt government,” Proper’s mother replied, according to the call recording.
By the end of the evening, Proper had been taken to Knox Community Hospital for an emergency medical admission, according to police records. Those records indicate he had a history of suicidal ideations.
According to body camera footage from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, also obtained by ABC News, after Proper left with deputies, his mother continued sharing her concerns with authorities.
“He’s texting somebody. If you go ahead and get a hold of his phone or his text messages, it’s all in there,” she tells authorities, according to the body camera footage. “It’s all on his phone. I saw him on Google Maps, he had a little pin dropped in it. I saw on Google maps, Washington, D.C.”
Describing a conversation to police she said she had with her son, she said he told her, “It’s a hit-and-a-run type of thing. I’m, like, Oh, that doesn’t sound good.”
The following day, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office contacted the FBI, which searched Proper’s iPhone, according to charging documents.
“During a preliminary search of the device, investigators observed chats on Signal groups that laid out detailed plans to conduct an attack in Washington D.C. with several unidentified confederates,” charging documents stated. “In the chat, detailed imagery of the National Capitol Region and maps of the area were shared to a group of which PROPER was a member, highlighting sniper locations, potential drone launch locations, and other detailed tactical planning.”
Later that day, investigators interviewed Proper at the medical facility where he had been taken where he “admitted to planning with others a coordinated attack against the United States government during the UFC event scheduled to take place on the White House lawn in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, June 14, 2026,” according to the charging documents.
The phone calls from Proper’s mother provide insight into what began as a local police investigation and quickly turned into a nationwide investigation involving the FBI, Secret Service and ATF that resulted in the arrests of five people in four states, including Proper.
“My client takes the allegations against him very seriously and we are going to take the case one step, and one day, at a time as we move the case forward,” Joseph Patituce, attorney for Proper, said in a statement to ABC News.
According to police records obtained by ABC News, the guns, ammunition and other tactical gear that was taken from Tycen Proper’s room by his family was located at the home of his grandfather and turned over voluntarily to the to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office for safekeeping. Those items would eventually be the subject of a federal search and seizure warrant.
Authorities are still working to identify and locate other people whom they say may have been involved in the alleged plot.
Rex A. Heuermann pleads guilty in court to the murders of eight women during a 17-year killing spree on April 8, 2026 in Riverhead, New York. (James Carbone/Pool/Getty Images)
“I can’t even put into words the eviscerating hatred I have for you,” said Jasmine Robinson, cousin of victim Jessica Taylor, who would have turned 43 on Wednesday. “You fill me with so much repugnance.”
Another cousin, Violet Swager, remembered Taylor as “fierce, kind, compassionate, beautiful and intelligent.”
She said to Heuermann, “You chose small women because you’re nothing more than a weak, disgusting coward.”
Heuermann, 62, who gave his own brief statement in court, was sentenced to consecutive life sentences in prison.
Brainard-Barnes’ sister Missy Cann broke down in tears as she read a statement prior to the imposition of the sentence.
“You are a coward who preyed on vulnerable, innocent women,” Cann said.
Mack’s parents, Ed and JoAnn Mack, said Heuermann robbed their daughter of the chance to achieve her dreams.
“I would like to say to Mr. Heuermann, what you have done to our family is beyond what words can express,” JoAnn Mack said. “Even though justice is done, it cannot replace what you have taken from us.”
Barthelemy’s sister, Amanda Funderberg, recalled how Heuermann tormented her after the murder by calling her and saying he was letting Barthelemy’s body rot.
Funderberg turned to stare down Heuermann in the courtroom, telling him, “You can look at me while I’m talking — it has been about 17 years since we’ve spoken.”
She called him an “ogre” and a “repulsive monster.”
Waterman’s daughter, Liliana Waterman, who was 9 when her mother was killed, recalled finding out about how her mother died while scrolling on her phone.
“In an instant my world shattered,” Liliana Waterman said. “I have spent 16 Mother’s Days without her.”
Heuermann gave his own brief statement in court, saying, “There are no words I can say.”
“The words I would say have no meaning and I’m going to leave it there,” he said softly.
Someone in the gallery shouted, “Speak up!”
When Heuermann said nothing more, an incredulous Judge Timothy Mazzei asked, “Are you a little bit sorry for what you did [to] these poor, innocent women? Are you at least a little bit sorry for that?”
Heuermann responded quietly, “Yes I am.”
After Mazzei pronounced the consecutive life sentences, the judge told the court officers to “get him outta here!”
The victims’ families broke out into applause, shouting “ogre, ogre,” before Heuermann was cuffed and led out of the courtroom.
In April, Heuermann agreed to serve three consecutive life sentences followed by four consecutive sentences of 25 years-to-life, according to prosecutors. Part of Heuermann’s plea agreement also requires him to be interviewed by the FBI’s behavioral analysis unit.
Prosecutors said the New York City architect targeted sex workers, strangled them and dumped their bodies near Long Island’s Gilgo Beach over the course of 17 years. The Gilgo Beach cases went unsolved for years, until Heuermann’s arrest in 2023.
Typical El Nino impacts in winter months. (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — El Nino conditions continue to intensify and are likely to be very strong, resulting in a potentially historic event in the coming months that could significantly influence our weather, the hurricane season and global temperatures, according to the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The agency is now highly confident there will be a very strong El Nino during the upcoming Northern Hemisphere fall and winter seasons.
NOAA’s latest forecast says that between October and December, there is a 69% chance of a historic event that would exceed the strength of all previous El Nino events on record, dating back to 1950. The current event ranks as the second strongest on record for this time of the year, behind 1997.
“Our team has become more confident in the possibility of a very strong El Nino by the end of this year,” Michelle L’Heureux, a physical scientist at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, told ABC News.
“There is a greater than 90% chance of a ‘very strong’ El Nino, which is the highest chance to date, and expresses our confidence in the growth and development of a potentially historic El Nino event,” L’Heureux added.
NOAA noted that with an event of this magnitude, while the chances of experiencing impacts consistent with El Nino are greater, they are not guaranteed.
El Nino refers to the warmer-than-average phase of the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a natural cycle where sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean rise and fall. The cooler-than-average phase is called La Nina, while near-average conditions are known as ENSO-neutral.
NOAA ranks the strength of El Nino events by measuring the sea surface temperature departure from average (anomaly) across this region, classifying events as weak, moderate, strong or very strong.
While adjectives such as “super” and “extreme” are popular ways of describing the strength of an El Nino event on social media, NOAA and the WMO classify the strength as weak to moderate, strong and very strong. The WMO noted in a recent statement that “the term [[super]] is not part of standardized operational classifications.”
Typical El Nino impacts across the United States
Impacts from El Nino, similar to La Nina, tend to be most consistent and pronounced from late autumn through early spring following the event’s onset, NOAA said. There is usually a delay between the onset of the event and many of the associated effects.
Experts caution that the impacts on weather patterns are nuanced. Each season is different, and typical El Nino conditions don’t always materialize.
“The data is very clear that we can be more confident in certain impacts occurring during strong and very strong El Nino, but it is really important to emphasize that even if this ends up being a historic El Nino, there will be impacts in some locations that do not align with the expected El Nino impact,” L’Heureux added. “This is why our seasonal forecasts are expressed in terms of probabilities.”
Northeast: Typically, during El Nino, warmer-than-average temperatures are favored across the northern half of the United States during the winter months. However, its influence is less pronounced in the Northeast, compared to the Upper Midwest and Northwest.
El Nino typically increases the odds of above-average snowfall in the mid-Atlantic and coastal areas of the Northeast as storms often move up the coast. Farther inland, drier-than-average conditions and less snow are more likely.
South: Near- to below-average temperatures are favored along the southern tier of the U.S., especially from Texas to the Southeast.
For precipitation, wetter-than-average conditions are typically observed along the southern tier of the U.S., including parts of the Gulf Coast and Southeast. Below-average precipitation is frequently observed across parts of the south-central Mississippi Valley.
Midwest: Warmer-than-average temperatures are favored from the northern Plains into the Great Lakes. Drier-than-average conditions are frequently observed across parts of the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions.
El Nino typically increases the odds of above-average snowfall in the south-central Plains, with below-average snowfall favored in the northern Plains and Great Lakes regions.
West: During the winter months, warmer-than-average temperatures are likely across much of the Northwest. For precipitation, wetter-than-average conditions are typically observed across southern California and much of the Southwest, with below-average precipitation frequently observed across parts of the northern Rockies.
El Nino typically increases the odds of above-average snowfall in the southern Rockies, with below-average snowfall favored in the northern Rockies.
Meanwhile, above-average tropical activity in the eastern Pacific increases the likelihood of indirect impacts to the southwestern United States, such as sending more rain to the region and more frequent flash flood concerns.
Alaska: El Nino impacts in Alaska tend to be more pronounced than across much of the contiguous United States, with the strongest effects typically occurring during the winter and spring months. During winter, warmer- and drier-than-average conditions are more likely, with less snowfall and reduced snowpack.
Above average temperatures often persist into spring, while precipitation trends closer to average. However, warmer conditions typically mean more precipitation falls as rain rather than snow, prolonging snow deficits.
Hawaii: Rainfall is typically above average across Hawaii the year an El Nino event develops before conditions become drier during the winter months and remain dry well into the following year. The shift toward drier weather can increase the likelihood of drought and elevate the risk of wildfires.
Meanwhile, above-average tropical activity in the eastern Pacific increases the risk of impacts from tropical systems across the Hawaiian Islands.
How El Nino influences hurricane season activity
While El Nino is only one of several key factors that influence tropical activity, forecasts now indicate it will be a strong event through the peak of the hurricane season, making it the primary driver of activity in both the Atlantic and eastern Pacific in the coming months.
El Nino conditions often suppress tropical activity during the Atlantic hurricane season by producing unfavorable atmospheric winds. In the Eastern Pacific, the opposite occurs, with favorable conditions supporting above-average hurricane season activity.
Other factors, such as sea surface temperatures, also play an important role in tropical cyclone development and strength. Unseasonably warm ocean waters can partially offset the effects of unfavorable atmospheric winds, according to forecasters.
Global temperature records will likely be challenged
2024 ranked as the planet’s warmest year on record, following the last El Nino event, which emerged in mid-2023 and persisted through spring 2024, according to NOAA. However, the return of El Nino means global temperature records will likely be challenged again in the near future, especially since a very strong event is unfolding.
Record highs in global average temperature often occur during El Nino years, combined with the long-term global warming trend driven primarily by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
“Warmer ocean temperatures associated with El Nino, together with its tendency to favor warmer conditions in many areas, often contribute to warmer than normal global annual temperatures,” Jon Gottschalck, chief of the Operational Prediction Branch at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said.
According to the latest outlook from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, it’s virtually certain that 2026 will rank among the five warmest years on record, with a 99.9% chance.
However, the probability of it becoming the warmest year currently stands at less than 1%. These odds will likely rise significantly for 2027, based on the latest forecasts.
There is usually a delay between the onset of El Nino and its peak impact on global temperatures, NOAA says. As with the most recent event, its greatest influence often occurs in the months after it peaks, which can keep global temperatures elevated into the following year.
