Oregon political leaders on Thursday offered support, prayers and in some cases a call for new gun restrictions following news that a 16-year-old shooter fatally wounded at least three children in a Bend elementary school.
At a press conference in Bend Thursday evening, Gov. Tina Kotek praised Silver Rail Elementary School staff, parents and “the first responders who rushed to the scene this afternoon” for their actions to protect students. Kotek also expressed support for the bystander who killed the teen shooter.
“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,” Kotek said.
With her voice breaking at one point, the governor recalled visiting Silver Rail Elementary School nearly a year ago, where she spent time with educators and community members “calling parents to congratulate them on the attendance that their students were showing in the school.”
“And I heard the joy and the excitement from those parents in those conversations,” Kotek said. “So my heart is absolutely broken today. And our hearts will stay broken in the days and weeks ahead, and my daily prayers will be with this community, with the children, with the parents and with the educators.”
“All Oregonians mourn this loss today,” Kotek said. “This is a horrible day.”
State Sen. Christine Drazan, the Republican nominee for governor challenging the Democratic incumbent, also offered her support.
“My heart is with the students, families, teachers and staff facing an unimaginable tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend,” Drazan said. “I am praying for everyone impacted and for the law enforcement officers and first responders who responded so swiftly to this horrific incident.”
“We have to commit to protecting our kids,” Drazan added. “We have to put a complete stop to shootings at our schools. This has to end.”
U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum, whose congressional district includes Bend, announced Thursday that she was halting all campaign activity in order to focus on supporting the community.
“They’re killing our babies,” Bynum said in a statement on Thursday. “Our babies are supposed to do arts and crafts at school, not use their desks as cover from gunfire. They’re supposed to make friends, not mourn them. This is every parent’s worst fear. My heart and my prayers and everything else I got is with the families at Silver Rail Elementary. When will it end?”
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley wrote on the social media site X that “my heart is with the Bend community and all of the students and families affected. No one should have to fear violence at school.”
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici echoed other lawmakers’ sentiments and decried America’s gun violence epidemic. “As a parent and policymaker, my heart is breaking for the students, families, teachers, and staff at Silver Rail Elementary School and the entire Bend community,” Bonamici said. “No parent should have to wonder if their child will come home at the end of the day. The epidemic of gun violence in schools across America must come to an end. Children deserve to feel safe —and be safe — in school.”
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said in a statement that “my heart goes out to the innocent victims of today’s horrific shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School and their loved ones now facing the awful consequences of yet another school shooting in America.”
Wyden also suggested how leaders should respond: by passing new restrictions on firearms.
“The best way to honor these victims is to at long last pass common-sense gun laws that reduce the risks of more children, parents, teachers and staff forced to live in fear of similar nightmares for their schools,” Wyden said.
In the Oregon Legislature, two state senators from central Oregon, Bend Democrat Anthony Broadman and Powell Butte Republican Mike McLane, issued statements together Thursday evening.
“As a father and a neighbor, I grieve and pray for the families who face devastating loss today,” Broadman said. “Knowing that children and an educator had their lives cut short by violence, in a place that should be safe and full of vitality, troubles the soul of every good human being. Oregonians in all corners of the state will wrap this community in love and support.”
McLane said central Oregon “is devastated.”
“We are grieving,” he said. “We are horrified by the senseless violence. Our hearts are with the Silver Rail Elementary community and Bend.”
House Republican Leader Lucetta Elmer and Rep. Vikki Breese Iverson of Prineville said in a statement that “words can’t express the heartbreak of hearing that the Bend community has experienced such unnecessary violence.” They expressed gratitude to the Bend Police Department and first responders who responded quickly to the school.
“The senseless violence against our children today is heartbreaking,” Breese Iverson said. “My commitment is to the families, students, and teachers as we learn details of today’s horrific event. I’m grateful to every first responder who stepped in with urgency to protect our community. May the weight of God sit heavy with any soul who justifies this evil deed.”
Among House Democrats, Rep. Ricki Ruiz of Gresham, a former Reynolds School Board member, wrote on Facebook Thursday that his heart was “shattered for the families who have lost loved ones, for the students and staff who will carry this trauma, and for the entire Bend community.”
“No family should ever receive this kind of news,” Ruiz wrote. “No child should ever have to fear for their life at school. Today, Oregon grieves with Bend. We hold these families, the survivors, and everyone affected in our hearts.”
In Bend, former Republican state representative and former Bend-La Pine School Board member Cheri Helt said that “Bend’s heart is broken.”
“We are grieving alongside the families who have lost loved ones in the tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary,” Helt said. “Our hearts are with every student, teacher, and staff member whose lives have been forever changed.
“We are deeply grateful to our police, firefighters, first responders, and health care professionals who answered the call today,” Helt added. “I know how deeply our schools are connected to this community. In the difficult days ahead, we must come together to surround these families, our students, and our educators with love, compassion, and unwavering support. No child, parent or staff member should ever have to experience this at school.”
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