On the morning of Thursday, October 1, 2015, the lives of the students and professors of Umpqua Community College in Oregon, changed forever. About 180 miles south of Portland, the school is located in the town Roseburg in the North Umpqua River Valley.
Gunfire broke out shortly after 10:00 that morning when Chris Harper-Mercer, 26, went on a shooting spree inside the college. He began his shooting in a writing class, asking people about their religions, and shooting them immediately after their response. Survivors have told news sources that he was mainly targeting Christians - when a student claimed to be a Christian, he simply said, "Good, because you're going to meet God in about one second." Then he would shoot.
According to Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, at least 10 people were announced dead and at least seven people injured, after the shooting. It has not been confirmed whether or not that number included the body of the gunman. However, it was confirmed on October 3, by Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin, that the gunman did commit suicide amidst crossfire with police officers.
After the shooting, 14 firearms were found at the college, including five pistols and one rifle. Additional firearms and ammunition were discovered through investigation at his apartment. Authorities have confirmed that all weapons were legally obtained by the shooter or his family members over the last three years through a federally licensed firearms dealer.
Through further investigation into what are believed to be Harper-Mercer's online blog posts and Myspace account, it has been found that he did seem to experience feelings of anger, isolation, and the inability to form relationships. His family confirmed his struggles with mental health issues and that he had sought treatment.
Though no specific link to any organized groups has been found, two of possibly the most disturbing posts were about recent shootings, one about Vester Flanagan, who killed two local news reporters in Virginia, and another post about an officer killed near Houston back in August of this year.
The shooter posted on August 31, writing about the incident involving Flanagan, "I have noticed that so many people like him are all alone and unknown, yet when they spill a little blood, the whole world knows who they are...Seems the more people you kill, the more you're in the limelight."
President Obama spoke to reporters on Thursday, pushing for a change in gun laws. "Somehow this has become routine. The reporting is routine. My response here at the podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it. We've become numb to this...Our thoughts and prayers are not enough. It's not enough. It does not capture the heartache and grief and anger that we should feel, and it does nothing to prevent this carnage from being inflicted someplace else in America - next week, or a couple months from now."
Oregon is one of seven states with provisions, either from state legislation or court rulings, that allow the carrying of concealed weapons on public postsecondary campuses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The other states are Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Utah and Wisconsin.
