[Updated (10/2/2015, 12:02 a.m.) with more details.]
Ten people died and seven more were wounded in a shooting spree on Thursday at Umpqua Community College, in Roseburg, Ore., law-enforcement officials said.
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[Updated (10/2/2015, 12:02 a.m.) with more details.]
Ten people died and seven more were wounded in a shooting spree on Thursday at Umpqua Community College, in Roseburg, Ore., law-enforcement officials said.
In a news conference on Thursday afternoon, Sheriff John Hanlin of Douglas County, Ore., said that three of the seven were critically injured, the Associated Press and other news outlets reported.
Federal authorities confirmed Thursday evening that the gunman, identified as 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer, was among the 10 fatalities. The gunman, who lived in a nearby town, was killed by officers who were responding to his attack.
Law-enforcement officials provided no further details about Mr. Mercer or information about his motive. But one witness to the attack said he had demanded that people in one classroom state their religion before he opened fire, the AP reported.
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Authorities carry a shooting victim away from the scene after a gunman opened fire at Umpqua Community College, in Roseburg, Ore. (Mike Sullivan, Roseburg News-Review, AP Images)Mike Sullivan
The New York Timesreported that the first 911 call came at 10:38 a.m. Pacific time (1:38 p.m. Eastern). The college, which enrolls roughly 2,000 students in a rural area about 175 miles south of Portland, Ore., went on lockdown. Officers exchanged gunfire with the shooter when they arrived on the scene, Sheriff Hanlin said.
The Times later reported that a law-enforcement official had said the gunman had three weapons, including at least one long gun. “He appears to be an angry young man who was very filled with hate,” the Times quoted the official as saying.
A former president of the college, Joe Olson, told the AP that the institution has only one police officer on duty at a time and that the officer is unarmed.
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According to the college’s safety and security policy, “possession, use, or threatened use of firearms” on the campus is prohibited.
A visibly angry and frustrated President Obama said in a televised statement on Thursday evening that mass shootings have become so routine that “we’ve become numb to this.” He challenged voters to make gun safety a priority, saying, “If you think this is a problem, then you should expect your elected officials to reflect your views.”
