DOMINANT ANGLE
Belgrade is relaying the drama in Bend from the angle of a community in mourning, following step by step the toll of victims and the police chronology provided by the agencies.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Three children, aged five, eight, and eleven, and a teacher were killed at Silver Rail school in Bend, according to Politika citing the BBC.
- 02
The 16-year-old gunman was killed by a citizen who followed him into the school; police arrived three minutes later.
- 03
The first calls came in at 12:59 local time; the police have not released the identity of the gunman or the victims.
ANALYSIS
Belgrade, October 16, 2026. The Serbian press, through Politika and Blic, reports on the shooting at the "Silver Rail" primary school in Bend, in the American state of Oregon, largely relying on foreign agencies and media.
Blic opened the story on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at the time of the alert: the school was placed under lockdown, the Bend police asked residents to avoid the area, and a spokesperson for the Bend-La Pine school district confirmed an incident with an "active shooter," without further details. At this stage, there was no information on potential casualties or the suspect.
Politika, citing the AP and Tanjug, described a still unclear initial toll: several injured, at least two hospitalized, and the shooter killed. Bend police spokesperson Sheila Miller stated, "We don't have an exact number. We know that children are among the victims." She did not confirm whether the shooter was hit by police or residents. The school has 459 students, from kindergarten to fifth grade.
The toll later reported by Politika, according to the BBC, was heavier: three children, aged five, eight, and eleven, and a teacher were killed; a seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were seriously injured and hospitalized in critical condition. The 16-year-old shooter was killed by a citizen who had followed him into the building, according to the police.
The police chronology, as reported by the daily, is precise: the first calls came in at 12:59 local time, reporting a man shooting at a car; a few minutes later, the police learned that the assailant had entered the school; a passerby followed and killed him; the police arrived three minutes later, found him dead, and searched the premises. The police have not released the identity of the shooter or the victims, and it is unknown if he had any connection to the school.
The account emphasizes the mourning: the district management is deeply shaken, the community is "broken" by the loss of human life, and classes were suspended on Friday, October 16, 2026, in Bend schools. The school has approximately 450 students and more than 40 employees. The articles provided do not address the American debate on guns or political reactions.
