AI Image
Bend victim, 5, is the youngest ever killed in mass school shooting in U.S.
OregonLive.com • • general
Key Points:
- A 5-year-old child named Rhoam Summer was among three children and a teacher fatally shot at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, marking the youngest victim in a U.S. school mass shooting since the 1960s, according to experts tracking such incidents.
- The shooter, a 16-year-old, killed children aged 5, 8, and 11, and a teacher, while critically injuring a 7-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher; the school serves about 450 students.
- Data from the K-12 School Shooting Database and other mass shooting databases confirm no younger victims than 5 years old have been recorded in deliberate school mass shootings over the past several decades.
- School shootings have occurred two to five times annually over the past 60 years, with most attacks targeting middle and high schools, as shooters are typically current or former students aged 12 to 18; mass shootings at elementary schools are rare.
- Experts note that while school shootings remain primarily a U.S. issue, an international database now tracks over 1,100 school shootings worldwide, reflecting a growing global concern.
