Oregon Flags Fly at Half-Staff Today for Bend School Shooting Victims; District Schools and Local Colleges Closed
Public institutions across Oregon lowered their flags to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Oct. 16 under an order signed Oct. 15 by Gov. Tina Kotek, honoring the victims of the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting in Bend.
Three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and one teacher were killed in the Oct. 15 shooting at Silver Rail Elementary. A 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were seriously wounded. The shooter, a 16-year-old Bend resident, was killed at the school by a community member; Bend police said officers arrived within three minutes of the first call.
Bend-La Pine Schools announced that all district schools would remain closed on Oct. 16, with all activities and athletics cancelled. Central Oregon Community College and Oregon State University's Cascades campus in Bend also announced one-day campus closures.
Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said at an Oct. 15 evening press conference that the investigation would continue for several days and that a large police presence would remain around Silver Rail Elementary; FBI personnel from the Portland office are assisting. As of Friday morning, police had not released the names of the victims, the shooter or the community member who intervened, saying families had been notified and that the motive remained under investigation. The Associated Press, citing a law enforcement official, reported that the gun used was a pump-action shotgun purchased by the shooter's mother; Bend police have publicly confirmed only that the weapon was a long gun and have not confirmed the model.
A vigil was held on the evening of Oct. 15 at Drake Park in Bend, organized with the participation of about a dozen churches. Gov. Kotek and Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler attended, along with a large crowd of residents. The governor's office has separately ordered flags at half-staff statewide on Oct. 17 for fallen federal wildlife officer David Taylor.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：俄勒冈州议会大楼（资料图）。州长科特克下令全州公共机构10月16日自日出至日落降半旗，悼念本德Silver Rail小学枪击案遇难者。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，公共领域。Photo: The Oregon State Capitol (file photo). Gov. Tina Kotek ordered flags at public institutions across Oregon lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Oct. 16 for the victims of the Silver Rail Elementary shooting in Bend. Image: Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
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