The following is known so far:
- Authorities responded to reports of a shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, at 10:38 a.m. local time.
- At least 10 people were killed and 10 others wounded, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Earlier, the Oregon attorney general put the number of fatalities at 13.
- The shooter is among the dead, police said.
- Oregon Gov. Kate Brown identified the gunman as a 20-year-old male. It's unclear whether he was a student at the school.
- According to a survivor's Facebook post, the suspect was carrying four guns.
- President Obama angrily condemned the shootings and called for stricter gun control.
- "Our thoughts and prayers are not enough," the president said. "It does not capture the heartache and grief and anger that we should feel."
At a late afternoon press briefing, Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said he could only confirm 10 fatalities in the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon.
Ten others were injured, he said, including three critically-injured.
Hanlin would not say whether the deceased gunman was counted among the 10 dead.
The sheriff added that officials "don't anticipate releasing the names" of the victims for 24 to 48 hours.
Ten others were injured, he said, including three critically-injured.
Hanlin would not say whether the deceased gunman was counted among the 10 dead.
The sheriff added that officials "don't anticipate releasing the names" of the victims for 24 to 48 hours.
"The shooting was lining up people and asking them whether they were Christian. If they said, then they were shot in the head. If they said no, or didn't answer, they were shot in the legs. My grandma just got to my house, and she was in the room. She wasn't shot, but she is very upset. She tried to perform CPR on her friend, but it was too late. I hope nothing like this ever happens again."
The grandson of a woman who survived today's shooting at Umpqua Community College relayed his grandmother's horror in a text message which was tweeted.
Update: Multiple law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation identified the gunman as 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer. Investigators have interviewed members of his family and friends, they said.
Five facts about shooter Chris Harper Mercer: He Was Armed With 4 Guns & Was Killed After a Shootout With Police, He Asked Students to State Their Religion & Then Started Firing, He Says on a Dating Profile That He ‘Doesn’t Like Organized Religion’ & Is a ‘Conservative, Republican’, It’s Not Yet Known if He Was a Student or Connected to the School, A 4Chan User( message board) & Avid YouTube Poster Was Misidentified as the Suspect.
Update #2
NBC NEWS - The gunman who shot Christians in the head at a Oregon college after asking for his victims' faiths appeared to be sympathetic to the predominantly Catholic Irish Republican Army — but also posted online that he was "not religious."
Former acquaintances and social-media postings paint a picture of 26-year-old Christopher Harper Mercer — who was killed in a firefight with police at Umpqua Community College on Thursday — as a withdrawn young man who spent a lot of time on the Internet.
Public records show that one person of that name was born in Los Angeles County in 1989. Police declined to confirm the shooter's identity late Thursday, in an attempt to not "glorify"
the actions of the gunman behind a rampage that left 10 dead and seven others wounded.
Investigators said it was too soon to identify a motive, though Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin told NBC's TODAY he wasn't aware of any "specific red flags" for the shooter.
"He is a local resident and I know personally I haven't heard of any warning signs coming from this person," Hanlin said.
A Myspace page that appeared to be linked to the shooter featured Mercer holding what appeared to be a rifle while several other postings were sympathetic to the Irish Republican Army and featured masked gunmen and logos.
The IRA is a predominantly Catholic paramilitary group which waged a bloody three-decade campaign to make Northern Ireland an independent republic separate from Great Britain. It was responsible for terrorist attacks in Northern Ireland and England, including an attempt to assassinate British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher by bombing a hotel in 1984. More than 3,600 people were killed in the armed conflict.
The Myspace account — which is listed under Chris Harper-Mercer — also featured a formal photo with a caption reading "me in a tuxedo on the day of my sister's wedding."
A man listing the same birthday — and whose photo strongly resembles Mercer — also held a profile on a dating and penpal site for "spiritual singles" that listed Los Angeles as his location.
Before the actual name of the shooter was released, a different name, Toby Reynolds, also known as Egg Man, spread on social media and some websites as the shooter.
He called NBC News and told them he was alive and not the shooter.
Another day, another school shooting. It's simply stunning the effect these sort of events have on students, for some it may take awhile to deal with. Unfortunately after another tragedy involving guns, politicians are quick to jump on the stricter gun control band wagon. When an individual is intent on killing people, the gun control laws on the books, unfortunately don't mean a thing. It's 50/50 whether stricter gun laws really would've made a difference in this situation.
Update: Multiple law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation identified the gunman as 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer. Investigators have interviewed members of his family and friends, they said.
Five facts about shooter Chris Harper Mercer: He Was Armed With 4 Guns & Was Killed After a Shootout With Police, He Asked Students to State Their Religion & Then Started Firing, He Says on a Dating Profile That He ‘Doesn’t Like Organized Religion’ & Is a ‘Conservative, Republican’, It’s Not Yet Known if He Was a Student or Connected to the School, A 4Chan User( message board) & Avid YouTube Poster Was Misidentified as the Suspect.
Update #2
NBC NEWS - The gunman who shot Christians in the head at a Oregon college after asking for his victims' faiths appeared to be sympathetic to the predominantly Catholic Irish Republican Army — but also posted online that he was "not religious."
Former acquaintances and social-media postings paint a picture of 26-year-old Christopher Harper Mercer — who was killed in a firefight with police at Umpqua Community College on Thursday — as a withdrawn young man who spent a lot of time on the Internet.
Public records show that one person of that name was born in Los Angeles County in 1989. Police declined to confirm the shooter's identity late Thursday, in an attempt to not "glorify"
the actions of the gunman behind a rampage that left 10 dead and seven others wounded.
Investigators said it was too soon to identify a motive, though Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin told NBC's TODAY he wasn't aware of any "specific red flags" for the shooter.
"He is a local resident and I know personally I haven't heard of any warning signs coming from this person," Hanlin said.
A Myspace page that appeared to be linked to the shooter featured Mercer holding what appeared to be a rifle while several other postings were sympathetic to the Irish Republican Army and featured masked gunmen and logos.
The IRA is a predominantly Catholic paramilitary group which waged a bloody three-decade campaign to make Northern Ireland an independent republic separate from Great Britain. It was responsible for terrorist attacks in Northern Ireland and England, including an attempt to assassinate British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher by bombing a hotel in 1984. More than 3,600 people were killed in the armed conflict.
The Myspace account — which is listed under Chris Harper-Mercer — also featured a formal photo with a caption reading "me in a tuxedo on the day of my sister's wedding."
A man listing the same birthday — and whose photo strongly resembles Mercer — also held a profile on a dating and penpal site for "spiritual singles" that listed Los Angeles as his location.
A sinister warning message purportedly from the shooter who opened fire at an Oregon college allegedly appeared on an internet forum on Wednesday night.
The message, which was posted anonymously on bulletin board 4chan, read: 'Some of you guys are alright. Don't go to school tomorrow if you are in the northwest.'
Less than 24 hours later a shooter opened fire at Umpqua Community College, leaving 13 people dead and dozens injured.
It is not clear if the post is a hoax and Dailymail.com can not verify the authenticity of the message - 4chan has been contacted for a response.
Before the actual name of the shooter was released, a different name, Toby Reynolds, also known as Egg Man, spread on social media and some websites as the shooter.
He called NBC News and told them he was alive and not the shooter.
Another day, another school shooting. It's simply stunning the effect these sort of events have on students, for some it may take awhile to deal with. Unfortunately after another tragedy involving guns, politicians are quick to jump on the stricter gun control band wagon. When an individual is intent on killing people, the gun control laws on the books, unfortunately don't mean a thing. It's 50/50 whether stricter gun laws really would've made a difference in this situation.
It'll be interesting when the facts of this case come out, what Chris Harper Mercer's motive was for carrying out such a senseless tragedy.
I pray God may guide the families affected by this senseless tragedy in Oregon, may each family have the strength and courage to make through this unfortunate matter.
I pray God may guide the families affected by this senseless tragedy in Oregon, may each family have the strength and courage to make through this unfortunate matter.
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