FATAL MASS SHOOTING ROCKS U.S. — AGAIN
Attack in Oregon is fourth shooting at an American college campus since August
Ten people were killed and an additional seven injured Thursday after a 26year-old gunman opened fire in a classroom at a community college here in southern Oregon.
Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said the gunman was shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire with officers at Umpqua Community College. State police said in a statement there was only one gunman.
The suspect in the shooting is believed to be a local Oregon man, Chris Mercer, with a family in the area, a federal law enforcement official said.
Authorities investigated whether the gunman, who is believed to have some connection to the school, specifically targeted victims, rather than engaging in random gunfire, said the official, who is not authorized to comment publicly. It was unclear whether the shooter fired multiple weapons or had multiple am- munition magazines.
The attack — the fourth shooting at a U.S. college campus since August — prompted an angry President Obama to note that the USA is “the only advanced country on Earth that sees these kinds of mass shootings every few months.”
Speaking from the White House, Obama said the unnamed gunman was clearly troubled. “It cannot be this easy for somebody who wants to inflict harm on oth-
er people to get his or her hands on a gun,” he said.
Obama vowed to continue pushing new gun policies to prevent mass shootings.
“Each time this happens, I’m going to bring this up,” he said.
Roseburg Police Sgt. Aaron Dunbar told USA TODAY the incident was contained to one classroom on the campus.
Hannah Miles, 19, was in her fourth day of college Thursday, attending a writing class, when a loud noise came from the classroom next door. It sounded like a ruler hitting a blackboard, she said. When two more loud noises came from the room, Miles’ teacher, Amy Fair, opened the door between the classrooms to see if everything was OK.
It wasn’t. Fair turned back to the class and immediately hustled them outside. As they ran down the hall to leave the building, Fair banged on classroom doors and yelled for everyone to leave right away, Miles said.
Once outside, the class ran to the school bookstore, locked themselves into a back room and called police, Miles said.
Miles’ mother was at work as a respiratory therapy nurse at nearby Mercy Medical Center. Sandy Miles heard about the shootings and, knowing her daughter was at the school, began to worry. Then patients from Umpqua Community College began arriving, and she kicked into action. “All I could think was, ‘This could be my daughter,’ ” she said.
Sandy’s husband was able to call her and let her know Hannah was safe. Like others, Hannah was bused off campus to the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
Police got a call of an active shooter in a classroom at the college around 10:30 a.m., the Douglas County Sheriff ’s Office said.
Umpqua Community College English Professor Jillanne Michell said the shooting erupted in Snyder Hall, apparently in a writing and speech class, oregonlive.com reported.
“That is the building where the shooting did take place,” she said, adding that it’s possible additional shots were fired elsewhere.
Jared Norman, a nursing student at UCC, told the
News-Review that he heard shots, “and then everyone was running.”
He was initially locked in a cafeteria with 50 other students. “They’ve heard there is a shooting, but they don’t know what’s going on. And they’re scared,” he said.
The school was placed on lockdown while police went building to building. Students eventually were allowed to leave but were not permitted to take their cars.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tweeted that it had special agents at the college and was sending additional agents, as well as a K-9 team, to the scene. Officers from the Department of Homeland Security were also sent.
“While it is still too early to know all of the facts, I know I am joined by my fellow Oregonians and Americans in profound dismay and heartbreak at this tragedy,” Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said before leaving for Roseburg.
The college, 6 miles north of Roseburg, Ore., normally has 3,000 full-time students and 16,000 part-timers.
“It is a peaceful community,” said Hanlin, the sheriff oversee- ing the investigation. “Certainly this is a huge shock to the entire community to have this level of crime.” Hanlin has been vocal in opposing state and federal gun control legislation. He told a legislative committee in March that a background check mandate wouldn’t prevent criminals from getting firearms.