A Bend teacher threw her phone and tackled the gunman before help arrived, police say

The story

We learned a lot more on Friday about what happened inside Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, and some of it is hard to read.

Police say the attacker was a 16 year old who used to go to the school. He had been a special needs student there, and the classroom he went after on Thursday was that same special needs room. He got in by shooting through a locked door around 1 in the afternoon.

Inside that classroom, a teacher did something remarkable. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said she threw her cellphone at the teen, then tackled him and fought to pull the shotgun out of his hands. She wasn't hurt, and the chief said she almost certainly kept more people from dying.

While she was wrestling with him, a 36 year old father of two girls at the school ran in. He had been driving by, saw the shooting start outside, grabbed the pistol he legally carried in his car and went in after him. Police say he shot the teen several times and killed him.

Three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a 25 year old teacher were killed. Police named two of them on Friday: 5 year old Rhoam Summer and teacher Meghan Lambert. Another student and another teacher are in the hospital in critical condition.

Investigators say the teen fired up to 15 rounds in the room and still had dozens more on him when he was stopped. Officials told reporters the shotgun was bought by his mother around his birthday in August, and that she has been cooperating. Police are still piecing together how he got to the school and why he did it.