2015 Umpqua Community College shooting#Perpetrator

{{Infobox civilian attack

| title = Umpqua Community College shooting

| image = Snyder Hall Umpqua Community College.jpg

| alt = photograph showing Snyder Hall, the scene of the shooting

| caption = Snyder Hall, the scene of the shooting

| location = Roseburg, Oregon, U.S.

| coordinates = {{coord|43.2888|-123.3320|region:US-OR_type:event|display=inline,title}}
(Snyder Hall)

| date = {{start date and age|2015|10|01}}

| time-begin = 10:38

| time-end = 10:48 a.m.

| timezone = PDT

| type = School shooting, mass shooting, mass murder, shootout, murder–suicide

| weapons = * 4 semi-automatic pistols:

Smith & Wesson M99
Taurus PT24/7
Hi-Point CF-380
Glock 19
S&W M642-2 revolver
Del-Ton DTI-15 semi-automatic rifle (not used){{cite news |url = http://registerguard.com/rg/opinion/35940634-78/an-arsenal-at-ucc.html.csp |title = An arsenal at UCC |work = The Registered Guard |date = September 11, 2017 |access-date = September 11, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170911111419/http://registerguard.com/rg/opinion/35940634-78/an-arsenal-at-ucc.html.csp |archive-date = September 11, 2017 |url-status = live }}

| fatalities = 10 (including the perpetrator)

| injuries = 8

| perp = Christopher Sean Harper-Mercer

| motive = Revenge for perceived sexual and social rejection

}}

A shooting occurred on October 1, 2015, at the Umpqua Community College campus near Roseburg, Oregon, United States. Chris Harper-Mercer, a 26-year-old student who was enrolled at the school, fatally shot an assistant professor and eight students in a classroom, and injured eight others. Roseburg police detectives responded to the incident and engaged Harper-Mercer in a brief shootout. After being wounded, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. The school shooting is the deadliest in Oregon's history, surpassing the 1998 Thurston High School shooting.

Shooting

At 10:38 a.m. PDT, the first 9-1-1 call was made from Snyder Hall on the school campus reporting gunfire. Students reported that the shooting began in Classroom 15, where English and writing classes are conducted.{{cite news |url = http://nyti.ms/1FIQXMa |title = Oregon Community College Shooting Leaves at Least 7 Dead |work = The New York Times |date = October 1, 2015 |access-date = October 1, 2015 |first1 = Dirk |last1 = Vanderhart |first2 = Kirk |last2 = Johnson |first3 = Julie |last3 = Turkewitz |archive-date = February 18, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230218125924/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/02/us/oregon-shooting-umpqua-community-college.html?smid=pl-share |url-status = live }}{{cite news |url = http://www.katu.com/news/local/Reports-Active-shooter-on-the-Umpqua-Community-College-campus--330285921.html |title = Deadly shooting at Umpqua Community College |publisher = KATU-TV |location = Portland, Oregon |date = October 1, 2015 |access-date = October 1, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151016232700/http://www.katu.com/news/local/Reports-Active-shooter-on-the-Umpqua-Community-College-campus--330285921.html |archive-date = October 16, 2015 }}

Harper-Mercer, who was a student in the writing class, entered the hallway and fired a warning shot.{{cite news |url = http://nyti.ms/1LbdqOA |title = Oregon College Student Says Gunman Smiled, Then Fired |work = The New York Times |date = October 9, 2015 |access-date = October 9, 2015 |first = Julie |last = Turkewitz |archive-date = February 18, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230218125926/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/10/us/roseburg-oregon-shooting-christopher-harper-mercer.html?smid=pl-share |url-status = live }} Some witnesses said he then forced fellow students to the center of the classroom. Before he opened fire on the other students, he deliberately spared one student's life so that the student could deliver a package from him to the police. He forced this student to sit at the back of the classroom and watch as he continued shooting with two handguns (a Glock 19 and a Taurus PT24/7).{{cite news |url = https://abcnews.go.com/US/oregon-umpqua-shooting-survivor-recalls-terrifying-moments-inside/story?id=34249478 |title = Oregon Umpqua Shooting Survivor Recalls Terrifying Moments Inside Classroom |work = ABC News |date = October 5, 2015 |access-date = October 6, 2015 |first1 = Neal |last1 = Karlinsky |first2 = Sabina |last2 = Ghebremedhin |first3 = Cassidy |last3 = Gard |archive-date = October 5, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151005162851/http://abcnews.go.com/US/oregon-umpqua-shooting-survivor-recalls-terrifying-moments-inside/story?id=34249478 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |url = http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/oregon-college-shooting/survivor-umpqua-community-college-shooting-describes-rampage-n442146 |title = Survivor of Umpqua Community College Shooting Describes Rampage |work = NBC News |date = October 10, 2015 |access-date = October 10, 2015 |first1 = Miguel |last1 = Almaguer |first2 = Phil |last2 = Helsel |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151010041956/http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/oregon-college-shooting/survivor-umpqua-community-college-shooting-describes-rampage-n442146 |archive-date = October 10, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |url = http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20151003-oregon-college-gunman-spared-lucky-one-to-give-police-a-message-survivor-says.ece |title = Oregon college gunman spared 'lucky one' to give police a message, survivor says |work = The Dallas Morning News |agency = Associated Press |date = October 3, 2015 |access-date = October 3, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151004145655/http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20151003-oregon-college-gunman-spared-lucky-one-to-give-police-a-message-survivor-says.ece |archive-date = October 4, 2015 |url-status = live }}

Harper-Mercer first shot the English professor at point-blank range. One student said that he asked two victims for their Christian belief, although their responses did not appear to determine who he shot.{{cite news |url = https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/02/oregon-college-shooting-he-asked-are-you-christian-then-he-shot-and-killed-them |title = Oregon college shooting: 'He asked are you Christian? Then he shot and killed them' |work = ABC News |date = 2025-10-02 |access-date = 2025-04-25 |first = Helen |last = Davidson }}{{cite news |url = https://abcnews.go.com/US/lucky-survived-oregon-school-shooting-describes-massacre/story?id=34385602 |title = 'Lucky One' Who Survived Oregon School Shooting Describes Massacre |work = ABC News |date = October 10, 2015 |access-date = October 10, 2015 |first = David |last = Chiu |archive-date = October 10, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151010215639/http://abcnews.go.com/US/lucky-survived-oregon-school-shooting-describes-massacre/story?id=34385602 |url-status = live }} One victim was agnostic{{cite news |url = http://nyti.ms/1VvcXRM |quote = "She said if you were to ask Quinn if he were Christian, he would have said, 'I am agnostic,'" Ms. Ferris said, quoting Mr. Cooper's mother, Janet Cooper. |title = Confusion, Horror and Heroism in Oregon Shooting |work = The New York Times |date = October 3, 2015 |access-date = October 6, 2015 |first1 = Claire |last1 = Cain Miller |first2 = Michael |last2 = Wines |first3 = Julie |last3 = Turkewitz |archive-date = February 18, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230218125922/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/us/confusion-horror-and-heroism-in-oregon-shooting.html?smid=pl-share |url-status = live }} and another was pagan.{{cite news |url = http://wildhunt.org/2015/10/oregon-pagan-community-loses-member-in-college-shooting.html |first = Heather |last = Greene |title = Oregon Pagan Community loses member in College Shooting |date = October 3, 2015 |access-date = October 6, 2015 |work = The Wild Hunt |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151007120349/http://wildhunt.org/2015/10/oregon-pagan-community-loses-member-in-college-shooting.html |archive-date = October 7, 2015 |url-status = live }} Some students were shot multiple times;{{cite news |url = http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/02/us/oregon-umpqua-community-college-shooting/index.html |title = Umpqua College gunman apparently targeted Christians |first1 = Ed |last1 = Payne |first2 = Sara |last2 = Sidner |first3 = Kyung |last3 = Lah |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 2, 2015 |work = CNN |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002202655/http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/02/us/oregon-umpqua-community-college-shooting/index.html |archive-date = October 2, 2015 |url-status = live }} one woman was struck several times in the stomach while trying to close a classroom door.{{cite news |url = http://nyti.ms/1FIQXMa |title = Oregon Shooting at Umpqua College Kills 10, Sheriff Says |work = The New York Times |date = October 1, 2015 |access-date = October 2, 2015 |first1 = Dirk |last1 = Vanderhart |first2 = Kirk |last2 = Johnson |first3 = Julie |last3 = Turkewitz |archive-date = February 18, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230218125924/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/02/us/oregon-shooting-umpqua-community-college.html?smid=pl-share |url-status = live }} One witness said he made a woman beg for her life before shooting her, shot another woman when she tried to reason with him,{{cite news |url = http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/christopher-harper-mercer-umpqua-community-college-shooter-showed-little-sympathy-in-killings-1.10922004 |title = Oregon shooter showed little sympathy in calculated killings |work = Newsday |agency = Associated Press |date = October 4, 2015 |access-date = October 4, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151006194550/http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/christopher-harper-mercer-umpqua-community-college-shooter-showed-little-sympathy-in-killings-1.10922004 |archive-date = October 6, 2015 |url-status = live }} and shot a third woman in the leg after she tried to defend herself with a desk. One victim, Sarena Dawn Moore, was killed while trying to climb back into a wheelchair on his orders.{{cite news |url = http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/04/us/oregon-umpqua-community-college-shooting/ |first = Melissa |last = Gray |title = Merciless gunman shot woman in a wheelchair, Oregon survivor says |work = CNN |date = October 5, 2015 |access-date = October 6, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151004222109/http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/04/us/oregon-umpqua-community-college-shooting/ |archive-date = October 4, 2015 |url-status = live }}

Roseburg Police Sergeant Joe Kaney and Detective Todd Spingath (who were in plainclothes at the time of the shooting) were the first to respond to the scene. They arrived at the hallway of Snyder Hall at 10:44, six minutes after the first 9-1-1 call was received. Two minutes later, Harper-Mercer reloaded his handguns and leaned out of the classroom, firing several shots at the officers. They fired three shots in return, hitting him once in the right side.{{cite news |url = http://wbay.com/2015/10/07/police-officers-use-of-force-against-the-umpqua-community-college-shooter-was-justified/ |title = Officers' use of force against Umpqua Community College shooter was justified |website = WBAY-TV |location = Green Bay, Wisconsin |date = October 7, 2015 |access-date = October 13, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151013151021/http://wbay.com/2015/10/07/police-officers-use-of-force-against-the-umpqua-community-college-shooter-was-justified/ |archive-date = October 13, 2015 |url-status = live }} After two more minutes of shooting at the officers, the wounded Harper-Mercer retreated into the classroom and killed himself with a single shot to his head.{{cite news |url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-34436373 |title = Oregon shooting: Gunman killed himself |work = BBC News |date = October 3, 2015 |access-date = October 3, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151003193826/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-34436373 |archive-date = October 3, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/oregon-shooting-suspect-chris-harper-mercer-committed-suicide-officials-say-1443913742 |title = Oregon Shooting Suspect Chris Harper-Mercer Committed Suicide, Officials Say |work = The Wall Street Journal |date = October 3, 2015 |access-date = October 3, 2015 |first = Zusha |last = Elinson |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151004000759/http://www.wsj.com/articles/oregon-shooting-suspect-chris-harper-mercer-committed-suicide-officials-say-1443913742 |archive-date = October 4, 2015 |url-status = live }} None of the officers were injured.{{cite news |url = http://www.kgw.com/story/news/crime/2015/10/01/report-15-dead-umpqua-community-college-shooting/73154898/ |title = 10 dead, 9 injured in mass shooting at Oregon college |publisher = KGW-TV |location = Portland, Oregon |date = October 1, 2015 |access-date = October 1, 2015 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151001224238/http://www.kgw.com/story/news/crime/2015/10/01/report-15-dead-umpqua-community-college-shooting/73154898/ |archive-date = October 1, 2015 }}{{cite news |url = http://koin.com/2015/10/01/active-shooter-reported-at-umpqua-community-college/ |title = Gunman among 10 dead at Umpqua Community College |website = KOIN-TV |location = Portland, Oregon |date = October 1, 2015 |access-date = October 1, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002061934/http://koin.com/2015/10/01/active-shooter-reported-at-umpqua-community-college/ |archive-date = October 2, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |first = Jonathan J. |last = Cooper |title = Prosecutor: Oregon college gunman killed himself inside classroom after 2 officers wounded him |date = October 7, 2015 |access-date = October 7, 2015 |website = U.S. News & World Report |agency = Associated Press |url = https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/10/07/oregon-gunman-killed-himself-after-police-shot-him |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151007183624/http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/10/07/oregon-gunman-killed-himself-after-police-shot-him |archive-date = October 7, 2015 |url-status = live }} Kaney is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran with 23 years on the Roseburg Police Department while Spingath is a U.S. Air Force veteran with 16 years on the Roseburg Police Department.

The package that Harper-Mercer had given to a student during the attack contained writing in which the shooter stated his motivations. Harper-Mercer complained that he had "no friends, no job, no girlfriend" and was a virgin. He critiqued other mass killers.{{cite news |last = Flaccus |first = Gillian |date = September 8, 2017 |title = Oregon authorities release 'manifesto' from mass shooting |url = https://apnews.com/article/016ee91e1de3430aab1da6e9848a6c97 |work = AP |location = Portland, Oregon |access-date = April 30, 2021 |archive-date = May 1, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210501044003/https://apnews.com/article/016ee91e1de3430aab1da6e9848a6c97 |url-status = live }} Harper-Mercer used language associated with the incel subculture. He expressed admiration for Elliot Rodger, the misogynist mass killer responsible for the 2014 Isla Vista killings.{{cite book |last = Bates |first = Laura |date = 2020 |title = Men Who Hate Women: From incels to pickup artists, the truth about extreme misogyny and how it affects us all |publisher = Simon & Schuster UK |isbn = 978-1728236247 |oclc = 1125958377 |pages = 34–35 }}

According to the Anti-Defamation League, "The issue most often raised about the shootings is whether they constitute an anti-Christian or anti-religious hate crime." By some accounts, the shooter asked his victims about their religion before killing them, but others point out that his rage was not limited to religious matters and stressed his mental health history. The report that the shooter asked victims about their religion before killing them comes from a survivor, as well as family members of the victims.{{Cite web |title = Plumbing the Depths: Were the Umpqua Shootings an Anti-Christian Hate Crime? |publisher = Anti-Defamation League |access-date = July 23, 2018 |url = https://www.adl.org/blog/plumbing-the-depths-were-the-umpqua-shootings-an-anti-christian-hate-crime |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180724032139/https://www.adl.org/blog/plumbing-the-depths-were-the-umpqua-shootings-an-anti-christian-hate-crime |archive-date = July 24, 2018 |url-status = live |df = mdy-all }}

Aftermath

Following the shooting, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents launched a campus-wide search for explosives. Six firearms were recovered from the crime scene:{{cite news |url = https://news.yahoo.com/terrible-day-9-killed-gunman-oregon-town-063530204.html |title = 'We began to run': Students describe horror of shooting |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 2, 2015 |work = Yahoo! News |first1 = Jeff |last1 = Barnard |first2 = Gosia |last2 = Wozniacka |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151003010923/http://news.yahoo.com/terrible-day-9-killed-gunman-oregon-town-063530204.html |archive-date = October 3, 2015 |url-status = live }} five handguns and one long gun. None were owned by his mother.{{cite news |last = Ford |first = Dana |title = Oregon shooting: Gunman dead after college rampage |url = http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/01/us/oregon-college-shooting/index.html |access-date = October 1, 2015 |publisher = CNN |date = October 1, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151001183945/http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/01/us/oregon-college-shooting/index.html |archive-date = October 1, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |first1 = Dirk |last1 = Vanderhart |first2 = Richard |last2 = Pérez-Peña |first3 = Michael S. |last3 = Schmidt |date = October 2, 2015 |url = http://nyti.ms/1FLqfTg |title = Gunman in Oregon Shooting Was Armed With 6 Guns and Left 7 at Home |work = The New York Times |access-date = October 2, 2015 |archive-date = February 18, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230218125921/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/03/us/oregon-shooting-umpqua-chris-harper-mercer.html?smid=pl-share |url-status = live }}{{cite news |url = http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/oct/1/chris-harper-mercer-identified-umpqua-community-co/ |access-date = October 1, 2015 |title = Chris Harper Mercer identified as Umpqua Community College shooter |newspaper = The Washington Times |date = October 1, 2015 |first = Jay |last = LeBlanc |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002204337/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/oct/1/chris-harper-mercer-identified-umpqua-community-co/ |archive-date = October 2, 2015 |url-status = live }} The long gun, a 5.56 x45 mm Del-Ton DTI-15 semi-automatic rifle, was not used during the incident.{{cite news |url = https://news.yahoo.com/oregon-gunman-army-dropout-studied-mass-shooters-041933070.html |title = Survivor: Gunman spared 'lucky one' to give police message |date = October 3, 2015 |access-date = October 4, 2015 |first1 = Gosia |last1 = Wozniacka |first2 = Tami |last2 = Abdollah |agency = Associated Press |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151005233433/http://news.yahoo.com/oregon-gunman-army-dropout-studied-mass-shooters-041933070.html |archive-date = October 5, 2015 |url-status = live }} Harper-Mercer also had a flak jacket and "enough ammunition for a prolonged gunfight".{{cite news |url = http://ktla.com/2015/10/01/gunman-in-oregon-college-shooting-that-left-10-dead-idd/ |title = Former L.A. County Resident ID'd as Gunman in Umpqua Community College Shooting That Left 10 Dead: Report |work = KTLA-TV |location = Los Angeles, California |date = October 1, 2015 |access-date = October 1, 2015 |first = Tracy |last = Bloom |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002040353/http://ktla.com/2015/10/01/gunman-in-oregon-college-shooting-that-left-10-dead-idd/ |archive-date = October 2, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |url = https://abcnews.go.com/US/umpqua-community-college-shooter-armed-guns-flak-jacket/story?id=34191422 |title = Umpqua Community College Shooter Armed With 6 Guns and Flak Jacket |work = ABC News |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 2, 2015 |first = Meghan |last = Keneally |archive-date = October 3, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151003042610/http://abcnews.go.com/US/umpqua-community-college-shooter-armed-guns-flak-jacket/story?id=34191422 |url-status = live }} Police said they found eight other firearms at his apartment, and that all of the weapons were purchased legally by him or members of his family.{{cite news |url = http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/oregon-college-shooting/oregon-college-shooting-gunman-chris-harper-mercer-died-suicide-officials-n438106 |title = Oregon College Shooting: Gunman Chris Harper Mercer Died of Suicide, Officials Say |work = NBC News |first = Elisha |last = Fieldstadt |date = October 3, 2015 |access-date = October 3, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151003212840/http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/oregon-college-shooting/oregon-college-shooting-gunman-chris-harper-mercer-died-suicide-officials-n438106 |archive-date = October 3, 2015 |url-status = live }} Almost four hours after the shooting, Laurel Harper was interviewed by Oregon State Police detectives, but the content was not released until September 13, 2017. She said her son had been prescribed medication, but it did not seem to help, and that he had been "born angry." She told police that he enjoyed watching videos of killings on the Internet. Their home was so disordered, that after the murders, she could not tell what guns were missing.{{cite news |first = Carisa |last = Cegavske |url = https://www.nrtoday.com/news/crime/ucc_shooting/ucc-shooter-s-mother-said-her-son-was-born-angry/article_4d0a9c59-6f80-5802-b78c-955a34198ae7.html |title = UCC shooter's mother said her son was born angry |newspaper = News-Review |date = September 13, 2017 |accessdate = July 25, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180725153412/https://www.nrtoday.com/news/crime/ucc_shooting/ucc-shooter-s-mother-said-her-son-was-born-angry/article_4d0a9c59-6f80-5802-b78c-955a34198ae7.html |archive-date = July 25, 2018 }}

Victims

= Fatalities =

The attacker killed a total of nine people: eight died at the scene while the ninth died at Mercy Medical Center. The dead were:{{Cite web |url = https://www.koin.com/news/umpqua-community-college-victims-identified/960324541 |title = Umpqua Community College shooting victims identified |access-date = January 26, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190127035151/https://www.koin.com/news/umpqua-community-college-victims-identified/960324541 |archive-date = January 27, 2019 |url-status = live }}

Lucero Alcaraz, age 19
Treven Taylor Anspach, 20
Rebecka Ann Carnes, 18
Quinn Glen Cooper, 18
Kim Saltmarsh Dietz, 59
Lucas Eibel, 18
Jason Dale Johnson, 33
Lawrence Levine, 67
Sarena Dawn Moore, 43

= Injured =

Eight other students were injured,{{cite news |first = Kenneth |last = Rosen |title = Survivor of Oregon Shooting Writes About Encounter With an Emotionless Gunman |date = October 17, 2015 |access-date = November 13, 2015 |website = The New York Times |url = http://nyti.ms/1QEZr7v |archive-date = February 18, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230218125927/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/us/survivor-of-oregon-shooting-writes-about-encounter-with-an-emotionless-gunman.html?smid=pl-share |url-status = live }}{{cite news |title = Oregon gunman killed himself after police wounded him |date = October 7, 2015 |access-date = November 15, 2015 |newspaper = Chicago Tribune |url = http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-oregon-college-shooting-20151007-story.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151120140006/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-oregon-college-shooting-20151007-story.html |archive-date = November 20, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{Cite news |last=Saslow |first=Eli |last2=Schaff |first2=Erin |date=2023-09-26 |title=Notebooks, Pens and Bulletproof Backpacks: A New School Year in America |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/26/us/school-mass-shootings-trauma.html |access-date=2023-09-27 |issn=0362-4331}} some with multiple gunshot wounds.{{cite news |url = http://ktla.com/2015/10/01/umpqua-community-college-shooter-targeted-christians-father-of-oregon-shooting-victim-says/ |title = Oregon Gunman Was Enrolled in Class Where He Opened Fire, Authorities Say |work = KTLA-TV |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 2, 2015 |first1 = Mary Beth |last1 = McDade |first2 = Eric |last2 = Spillman |archive-date = November 20, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181120015204/https://ktla.com/2015/10/01/umpqua-community-college-shooter-targeted-christians-father-of-oregon-shooting-victim-says/ |url-status = live }}{{cite news |url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/oregon-college-shooting-alleged-gunman-id-d-as-chris-harper-mercer-26-1.3252645 |title = Oregon college shooting: Alleged gunman ID'd as Chris Harper Mercer, 26 |work = CBC News |agency = Associated Press |date = October 1, 2015 |access-date = October 1, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002182552/http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/oregon-college-shooting-alleged-gunman-id-d-as-chris-harper-mercer-26-1.3252645 |archive-date = October 2, 2015 |url-status = live }}

Among the wounded was Chris Mintz, a U.S. Army veteran who was studying fitness training at the college,{{cite news |last1 = Cain Miller |first1 = Claire |last2 = Wines |first2 = Michael |last3 = Turkewitz |first3 = Julie |url = http://nyti.ms/1VvcXRM |title = Confusion, Horror and Heroism in Oregon Shooting |work = The New York Times |date = October 3, 2015 |access-date = October 3, 2015 |archive-date = February 18, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230218125922/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/us/confusion-horror-and-heroism-in-oregon-shooting.html?smid=pl-share |url-status = live }} who responded when he heard screams coming from an adjacent classroom. He blocked the connected door with his body to allow his class to escape. He next left the building to alert students in the library to evacuate. Returning to the shooting scene, he advised a wounded student to stay down and be quiet. At that point, Harper-Mercer leaned out from the classroom into the hallway and shot Mintz five or seven times as he was first standing, then falling to the floor, because he said Mintz had called police. Mintz pleaded that he not be killed on his son's birthday and said an apparently emotionless Harper-Mercer withdrew back into the classroom.{{cite news |last = Keneally |first = Meghan |url = https://abcnews.go.com/US/hero-umpqua-community-college-student-chris-mintz-speaks/story?id=34201425 |title = 'Hero' Umpqua Community College Student Chris Mintz Speaks After Being Shot 7 Times |work = ABC News |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 3, 2015 |archive-date = October 2, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002203523/http://abcnews.go.com/US/hero-umpqua-community-college-student-chris-mintz-speaks/story?id=34201425 |url-status = live }}

At a press conference held on October 3, Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin thanked Mintz for his actions.{{cite news |last1 = Shapiro |first1 = T. Rees |last2 = Dewey |first2 = Caitlyn |last3 = Bernstein |first3 = Lenny |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/oregon-shooter-killed-himself-after-2-officers-arrived-at-community-college/2015/10/03/92f02542-6a05-11e5-8325-a42b5a459b1e_story.html |title = Oregon shooter killed himself after 3 officers arrived at community college |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = October 3, 2015 |access-date = October 3, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151003201241/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/oregon-shooter-killed-himself-after-2-officers-arrived-at-community-college/2015/10/03/92f02542-6a05-11e5-8325-a42b5a459b1e_story.html |archive-date = October 3, 2015 |url-status = live }} To help pay for his medical bills, Mintz's family set up a GoFundMe account. By the end of that day, it had already received more than {{USD}}650,000 in donations.{{cite news |url = http://www.kgw.com/story/news/local/roseburg-college-shooting/2015/10/02/hero-shot-7-times-standing-up-roseburg-shooter/73205662/ |title = Over $650K raised for hero shot 7 times standing up to shooter |website = KGW-TV |location = Portland, Oregon |date = October 3, 2015 |access-date = October 3, 2015 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151004000301/http://www.kgw.com/story/news/local/roseburg-college-shooting/2015/10/02/hero-shot-7-times-standing-up-roseburg-shooter/73205662/ |archive-date = October 4, 2015 }} Mintz was released from a hospital on October 7.{{cite news |first = Andrew |last = Theen |url = http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/10/chris_mintz_released_from_rose.html |title = Chris Mintz released from Roseburg hospital; 3 Umpqua shooting victims remain in care |publisher = OregonLive.com |date = October 8, 2015 |access-date = October 17, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151011012159/http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/10/chris_mintz_released_from_rose.html |archive-date = October 11, 2015 |url-status = live }} On October 13, a 16-year-old girl who was critically wounded in the shooting was released from a hospital.{{cite news |first = Dan |last = Whitcomb |url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shooting-oregon-idUSKCN0S72UM20151013 |title = Girl critically wounded in Oregon college massacre is released from hospital |work = Reuters |date = October 13, 2015 |access-date = October 16, 2015 |archive-date = March 10, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170310025620/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shooting-oregon-idUSKCN0S72UM20151013 |url-status = live }}

Perpetrator

Christopher Sean "Chris" Harper-Mercer (July 26, 1989 – October 1, 2015) was enrolled in the introductory composition class where he shot his victims.{{cite news |url = http://www.ibtimes.com/who-chris-harper-mercer-oregons-alleged-umqua-community-college-shooter-identified-2123675 |title = Who Is Chris Harper Mercer? Oregon's Alleged Umqua Community College Shooter Identified, Police Say |work = International Business Times |first = Sarah |last = Berger |date = October 1, 2015 |access-date = October 1, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002234847/http://www.ibtimes.com/who-chris-harper-mercer-oregons-alleged-umqua-community-college-shooter-identified-2123675 |archive-date = October 2, 2015 |url-status = live }} He was born in Torrance, California to Ian Mercer, an Englishman, and Laurel Harper, a Black American woman. His parents separated before he was born, and agreed to share legal custody in their divorce. This never went through however, as Harper-Mercer spent his entire life living with his mother, and hadn't seen his father since they had moved to Oregon some two years before the shooting.{{cite web |title = Christopher Sean Harper, Born 07/26/1989 in California |url = https://www.californiabirthindex.org/birth/christopher_sean_harper_born_1989_19211755 |website = californiabirthindex.org |publisher = California Birth Index |access-date = April 19, 2021 |archive-date = April 19, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210419212409/https://www.californiabirthindex.org/birth/christopher_sean_harper_born_1989_19211755 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |url = http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-chris-harper-mercer-oregon-shooting-20151002-htmlstory.html |first = Christine |last = Mai-Duc |title = Gun-obsessed, timid, and his mom called him 'baby': What we know of Chris Harper-Mercer's life |work = Los Angeles Times |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 6, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151004175932/http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-chris-harper-mercer-oregon-shooting-20151002-htmlstory.html |archive-date = October 4, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |url = http://www.newsweek.com/father-umpqua-community-college-shooter-says-gun-laws-must-change-379934 |title = Father of Umpqua Community College Shooter Says Gun Laws Must Change |work = Newsweek |date = October 5, 2015 |access-date = October 6, 2015 |first = Stav |last = Ziv |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151005231840/http://www.newsweek.com/father-umpqua-community-college-shooter-says-gun-laws-must-change-379934 |archive-date = October 5, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/oregon-shooting-shooter-chris-harper-mercer-was-reclusive-26-year-old-with-an-interest-in-ira-and-a6677696.html |first = Tim |last = Walker |title = Oregon shooting: Shooter Chris Harper Mercer was reclusive 26-year-old with an interest in IRA and Nazism |work = The Independent |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 8, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151006002004/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/oregon-shooting-shooter-chris-harper-mercer-was-reclusive-26-year-old-with-an-interest-in-ira-and-a6677696.html |archive-date = October 6, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |url = http://www.cbsnews.com/news/umpqua-community-college-shooting-chris-harper-mercer/ |title = What we know about suspected Oregon shooter Chris Harper Mercer |work = CBS News |agency = Associated Press |date = October 1, 2015 |access-date = October 1, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002040619/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/umpqua-community-college-shooting-chris-harper-mercer/ |archive-date = October 2, 2015 |url-status = live }}

Harper-Mercer joined the U.S. Army in 2008, but was discharged after five weeks for his failure to meet the "minimum administrative standards" of basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.{{cite news |url = http://nyti.ms/1VrLeBc |title = Chris Mercer, Oregon Gunman, Hinted of Anger and Loneliness |work = The New York Times |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 2, 2015 |first1 = Ian |last1 = Lovett |first2 = Liam |last2 = Stack |archive-date = February 18, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230218125924/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/03/us/chris-harper-mercer-umpqua-community-college-shooting.html?smid=pl-share |url-status = live }} Officials linked to the investigation said that he was discharged as the result of a suicide attempt, but Army officials did not comment on this.{{cite news |url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11918263/Oregon-shooting-Chris-Harper-Mercer-discharged-from-army-after-suicide-attempt.html |first = Rob |last = Crilly |title = Oregon shooting: Chris Harper-Mercer 'discharged from army after suicide attempt' |work = The Daily Telegraph |date = October 7, 2015 |access-date = October 8, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151208200050/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11918263/Oregon-shooting-Chris-Harper-Mercer-discharged-from-army-after-suicide-attempt.html |archive-date = December 8, 2015 |url-status = live }} In 2009, he graduated from Switzer Learning Center, a school for teenagers with learning disabilities or emotional issues.{{cite news |url = http://www.dailybulletin.com/general-news/20151001/oregon-shooting-suspect-chris-harper-mercer-lived-in-torrance-graduated-from-switzer-center |title = Oregon shooting suspect lived in Torrance, graduated from Switzer Center |work = The Daily Bulletin |first1 = Larry |last1 = Altman |first2 = Nick |last2 = Green |date = October 1, 2015 |access-date = October 1, 2015 |archive-date = February 18, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230218125927/https://www.dailybulletin.com/2015/10/01/oregon-gunman-chris-harper-mercer-lived-in-torrance-graduated-from-switzer-center/ |url-status = live }} Laurel Harper was reportedly protective of him{{cite news |last1 = Winton |first1 = Richard |last2 = Mejia |first2 = Brittny |last3 = Mozingo |first3 = Joe |url = http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-oregon-shooting-profile-20151003-story.html |title = Online and off, a mystifying portrait of the Oregon college gunman emerges |work = Los Angeles Times |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 3, 2015 |quote = (Article author[s]:) Harper-Mercer long struggled with mental health issues, law enforcement sources said. The allegations add to a messy and mystifying portrait emerging of Harper-Mercer, who, despite his allegedly white supremacist leanings, was mixed-race and lived with a hyper-protective black mother who appeared to be his only true companion. |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151005054022/http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-oregon-shooting-profile-20151003-story.html |archive-date = October 5, 2015 |url-status = live }} and tried to shield him from various perceived annoyances, some of them minor, in their neighborhood in Torrance. From early 2010 to early 2012, Harper-Mercer attended El Camino College in Torrance.

Harper-Mercer maintained several Internet accounts, including one in which he described himself as mixed race.{{cite news |url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shooting-oregon-idUSKCN0RV5EP20151004 |title = Gunman in Oregon college massacre committed suicide |work = Reuters |first1 = Courtney |last1 = Sherwood |first2 = Emily |last2 = Flitter |date = October 4, 2015 |access-date = October 4, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151004054330/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/04/us-usa-shooting-oregon-idUSKCN0RV5EP20151004 |archive-date = October 4, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |title = What we know about Oregon shooter Chris Harper Mercer |website = CBS News |agency = Associated Press |url = http://www.cbsnews.com/news/umpqua-community-college-shooting-chris-harper-mercer |date = October 1, 2015 |access-date = October 2, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151003012120/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/umpqua-community-college-shooting-chris-harper-mercer |archive-date = October 3, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |first1 = Katie |last1 = Zavadski |first2 = M.L. |last2 = Nestel |url = http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/01/umpqua-gunman-id-d-as-chris-harper-mercer.html |title = Umpqua Gunman Chris Harper Mercer Hated Religion Online |work = The Daily Beast |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 6, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151004182741/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/01/umpqua-gunman-id-d-as-chris-harper-mercer.html |archive-date = October 4, 2015 |url-status = live }} Media reports said he had an e-mail address linked to an account on a BitTorrent website. The last upload on the account, three days before the Umpqua shooting, was a documentary on the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.{{cite news |url = https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/03/chris-harper-mercer-was-enrolled-at-the-college-where-he-made-bloody-last-stand |title = Chris Harper Mercer was enrolled at the college where he made a bloody last stand |first = Rory |last = Carroll |work = The Guardian |date = October 3, 2015 |access-date = October 6, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151004050417/http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/03/chris-harper-mercer-was-enrolled-at-the-college-where-he-made-bloody-last-stand |archive-date = October 4, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |url = http://mashable.com/2015/10/02/chris-harper-mercer-ucc-shooting/ |title = Who is Chris Harper-Mercer, the man suspected of killing 9 in Oregon? |first = Jenni |last = Ryall |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 2, 2015 |work = Mashable |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151003115328/http://mashable.com/2015/10/02/chris-harper-mercer-ucc-shooting/ |archive-date = October 3, 2015 |url-status = live }} According to the Los Angeles Times, unnamed law enforcement sources described him as a "hate-filled" man with antireligious and white supremacist leanings, and with long-term mental-health issues.{{cite news |title = Death in a classroom: Oregon shooter targeted his English class |url = http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-oregon-shooting-20151002-story.html |work = Los Angeles Times |first1 = Michael |last1 = Muskal |first2 = Richard |last2 = Winton |first3 = Marisa |last3 = Gerber |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 2, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002171153/http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-oregon-shooting-20151002-story.html |archive-date = October 2, 2015 |url-status = live }} His mother, Laurel Harper, had previously written anonymously in an online forum that both she and her son had Asperger syndrome.{{cite news |last1 = Healy |first1 = Jack |last2 = McIntire |first2 = Mike |last3 = Turkewitz |first3 = Julie |title = Oregon killer and mother had close bond with guns |url = http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/oregon-killer-and-mother-had-close-bond-with-guns/ |work = The Seattle Times |date = October 5, 2015 |access-date = October 6, 2015 |quote = [The mother] opened up about her difficulties raising a troubled son, who used to bang his head against the wall, and said she and her son struggled with Asperger's syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160108151534/http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/oregon-killer-and-mother-had-close-bond-with-guns/ |archive-date = January 8, 2016 |url-status = live }}

He and his mother moved to Winchester, Oregon in 2013 after she received a job there. His mother said he was initially excited to be able, unlike in California, to "open carry". There were 14 legally purchased weapons kept in the apartment, and Harper-Mercer's mother wrote online that she always kept full magazines in Glock pistols and an AR-15 rifle inside.{{cite news |url = http://nyti.ms/1jKXXOr |title = Oregon Killer's Mother Wrote of Troubled Son and Gun Rights |work = The New York Times |date = October 5, 2015 |access-date = October 6, 2015 |first1 = Jack |last1 = Healy |first2 = Mike |last2 = McIntire |first3 = Julie |last3 = Turkewitz |archive-date = February 18, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230218125925/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/us/mother-of-oregon-gunman-wrote-of-keeping-firearms.html?smid=pl-share |url-status = live }} The two often spent time together at shooting ranges, but Harper-Mercer was otherwise extremely isolated.{{cite news |url = https://www.yahoo.com/news/oregon-gunman-slipped-isolation-california-move-223311849.html |title = Oregon gunman slipped into isolation after California move |first1 = Eric M. |last1 = Johnson |first2 = Emily |last2 = Flitter |agency = Reuters |website = Yahoo! News |date = October 7, 2015 |access-date = October 7, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170319060426/https://www.yahoo.com/news/oregon-gunman-slipped-isolation-california-move-223311849.html |archive-date = March 19, 2017 |url-status = live }}

Harper-Mercer had been placed on scholastic probation at Umpqua Community College for falling below a C average. According to his community college transcript, Harper-Mercer earned a 1.75 GPA during his time at UCC, and a letter dated September 1 warned him that he could be suspended if he did not raise his grades. A UCC tuition bill due on October 6 noted that Harper-Mercer owed $2,021.{{cite news |first = Laura |last = Gunderson |title = Oregon school shooting: Umpqua shooter on academic probation |url = http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2015/10/oregon_school_shooting_umpqua.html |newspaper = The Oregonian |date = October 22, 2015 |access-date = October 22, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151024222038/http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2015/10/oregon_school_shooting_umpqua.html |archive-date = October 24, 2015 |url-status = live }}

On the day of the shooting, Harper-Mercer gave a survivor numerous writings showing he had studied mass killings, including the 2014 killing spree at Isla Vista, California.{{cite news |url = http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/02/us/oregon-umpqua-community-college-shooting/ |title = Oregon shooting: Gunman was student in class where he killed 9 |work = CNN |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 2, 2015 |first1 = Sara |last1 = Sidner |first2 = Kyung |last2 = Lah |first3 = Steve |last3 = Almasy |first4 = Ralph |last4 = Ellis |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002160446/http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/02/us/oregon-umpqua-community-college-shooting/ |archive-date = October 2, 2015 |url-status = live }} These expressed his sexual frustration as a virgin, animosity toward Black men, and a lack of fulfillment in his isolated life.{{cite news |url = https://abcnews.go.com/US/umpqua-community-college-shooter-chris-harper-mercer-hate/story?id=34203754 |title = Umpqua Community College Shooter Chris Harper-Mercer Had Hate-Filled Writings, Sources Say |work = ABC News |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 2, 2015 |first1 = Mike |last1 = Levine |first2 = Pierre |last2 = Thomas |first3 = Josh |last3 = Margolin |first4 = Jack |last4 = Date |archive-date = October 2, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002203343/http://abcnews.go.com/US/umpqua-community-college-shooter-chris-harper-mercer-hate/story?id=34203754 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/10/02/oregon-college-shooting/73192562/ |title = Official: Oregon gunman left angry note glorifying mass killers |work = USA Today |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 2, 2015 |first1 = Trevor |last1 = Hughes |first2 = Kevin |last2 = Johnson |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002102817/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/10/02/oregon-college-shooting/73192562/ |archive-date = October 2, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{cite news |url = https://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/04/us/oregon-umpqua-community-college-shooting/ |title = Merciless gunman shot woman in a wheelchair, Oregon survivor says |website = CNN |date = October 5, 2015 |access-date = October 5, 2015 |first = Melissa |last = Gray |quote = "The shooter also expressed frustration at not having a girlfriend and being a virgin, the law enforcement officials say." |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151008023522/http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/04/us/oregon-umpqua-community-college-shooting |archive-date = October 8, 2015 |url-status = live }} In them, he said "Other people think I'm crazy, but I'm not. I'm the sane one,"{{cite news |url = http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20151006/in-writings-oregon-gunman-christopher-harper-mercer-ranted-about-others-being-crazy |title = In writings, Oregon gunman Christopher Harper-Mercer ranted about others being crazy |work = Los Angeles Daily News |agency = Associated Press |first1 = Jonathan J. |last1 = Cooper |first2 = Tami |last2 = Abdollah |date = October 6, 2015 |access-date = October 6, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151007145454/http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20151006/in-writings-oregon-gunman-christopher-harper-mercer-ranted-about-others-being-crazy |archive-date = October 7, 2015 |url-status = live }} and that he would be "welcomed in Hell and embraced by the devil."{{cite news |url = http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/oregon-college-shooting/oregon-shooting-umpqua-gunman-chris-harper-mercer-what-we-know-n437351 |title = Oregon Shooting: Umpqua Gunman Chris Harper Mercer — What We Know |publisher = NBC News |first1 = Cassandra |last1 = Vinograd |first2 = Pete |last2 = Williams |first3 = Andrew |last3 = Blankstein |first4 = Tom |last4 = Winter |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 3, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151003055714/http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/oregon-college-shooting/oregon-shooting-umpqua-gunman-chris-harper-mercer-what-we-know-n437351 |archive-date = October 3, 2015 |url-status = live }} He also reportedly admired the perpetrator of the WDBJ shooting for the fame received, and wrote that: "A man who was known by no one, is now known by everyone. His face splashed across every screen, his name across the lips of every person on the planet, all in the course of one day."{{cite news |last1 = S.J. |first1 = Prince |title = Was Chris Mercer Harper Inspired by Vester Flanagan? |url = http://heavy.com/news/2015/10/chris-mercer-harper-blog-vester-lee-flanagan-wdbj7-tv-shooter-inspired-motive/ |access-date = August 30, 2016 |publisher = Heavy |date = October 1, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160927203550/http://heavy.com/news/2015/10/chris-mercer-harper-blog-vester-lee-flanagan-wdbj7-tv-shooter-inspired-motive/ |archive-date = September 27, 2016 |url-status = dead}}{{cite news |last1 = Glum |first1 = Julia |title = Oregon Shooting Suspect Chris Harper-Mercer Linked To Blog Post About Roanoke Gunman Vester Flanagan: Reports |url = http://www.ibtimes.com/oregon-shooting-suspect-chris-harper-mercer-linked-blog-post-about-roanoke-gunman-2124522 |access-date = August 30, 2016 |work = International Business Times |date = October 2, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170318224021/http://www.ibtimes.com/oregon-shooting-suspect-chris-harper-mercer-linked-blog-post-about-roanoke-gunman-2124522 |archive-date = March 18, 2017 |url-status = live }}

Reactions

[[File:The President Delivers a Statement on the Shooting in Oregon.webm|thumb|Video of President Obama delivering a statement on the shooting ({{abbr|12:44|12 minutes 44 seconds}}){{efn|name=Obamastatement|1=See:

{{cite web |url = https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/10/01/statement-president-shootings-umpqua-community-college-roseburg-oregon |title = Statement by the President on the Shootings at Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, Oregon |publisher = White House Office of the Press Secretary |date = October 1, 2015 }}}}]]

Oregon Governor Kate Brown said she was heartbroken by the events and that she would immediately travel to Roseburg. The American Association of Community Colleges and the Association of Community College Trustees issued a joint statement, calling the shooting a tragedy and expressing their commitment to on-campus safety.{{cite news |last1 = Ortiz |first1 = Erik |last2 = Johnson |first2 = M. Alex |last3 = Winter |first3 = Tom |title = 13 Killed in Shooting at Oregon's Umpqua Community College: Officials |url = https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officers-respond-report-shooting-umpqua-community-college-n437051 |access-date = October 1, 2015 |website = NBC News |date = October 1, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151001215805/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officers-respond-report-shooting-umpqua-community-college-n437051 |archive-date = October 1, 2015 |url-status = live }}

Sheriff John Hanlin of Douglas County said he would not "name the shooter ... I will not give him credit for this horrific act of cowardice. Media will get the name confirmed in time ... but you will never hear us use it."{{cite news |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/10/02/oregon-shooter-said-to-have-singled-out-christians-for-killing-in-horrific-act-of-cowardice/ |title = Oregon shooter said to have singled out Christians for killing in 'horrific act of cowardice' |newspaper = The Washington Post |first1 = Eli |last1 = Saslow |first2 = Sarah |last2 = Kaplan |first3 = Joseph |last3 = Hoyt |date = October 2, 2015 |access-date = October 2, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151002102017/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/10/02/oregon-shooter-said-to-have-singled-out-christians-for-killing-in-horrific-act-of-cowardice/ |archive-date = October 2, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{efn|The practice of withholding a perpetrator's name is controversial. The Associated Press cited a recent study suggesting that copycat crimes were more likely to happen within an average of 13 days following significant press coverage of a mass shooting, while noting that criminologists and ethicists say withholding names could make it more difficult to track patterns of behavior and prevent future acts of violence.{{cite news |url = https://news.yahoo.com/more-police-refusing-name-shooters-fear-copycats-153451458.html |title = More police refusing to name shooters for fear of copycats |agency = Associated Press |website = Yahoo! News |date = October 3, 2015 |access-date = October 4, 2015 |first = Sadie |last = Gurman |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151004100339/http://news.yahoo.com/more-police-refusing-name-shooters-fear-copycats-153451458.html |archive-date = October 4, 2015 |url-status = live }}{{cite journal |last1 = Yukich |first1 = Joshua |last2 = Towers |first2 = Sherry |last3 = Gomez-Lievano |first3 = Andres |last4 = Khan |first4 = Maryam |last5 = Mubayi |first5 = Anuj |last6 = Castillo-Chavez |first6 = Carlos |title = Contagion in Mass Killings and School Shootings |journal = PLOS ONE |volume = 10 |issue = 7 |year = 2015 |pages = e0117259 |issn = 1932-6203 |doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0117259 |pmid = 26135941 |pmc = 4489652 |bibcode = 2015PLoSO..1017259T |doi-access = free }}}}

U.S. President Barack Obama said that "thoughts and prayers [do] not capture the heartache and grief and anger that we should feel, and it does nothing to prevent this carnage from being inflicted some place else in America next week or a couple months from now."{{efn|name=Obamastatement}} He ordered the U.S. flag to be flown at half staff in memory of the victims the day after the shootings. On October 5, the White House announced that Obama would continue to take more executive action on the subject of gun control.{{cite web |url = https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/10/05/daily-press-briefing-press-secretary-josh-earnest-1052015 |title = Daily Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 10/5/2015 |date = October 5, 2015 |access-date = October 5, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170210220149/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/10/05/daily-press-briefing-press-secretary-josh-earnest-1052015 |archive-date = February 10, 2017 |url-status = live |via = National Archives |work = whitehouse.gov }} Obama was met at Roseburg Regional Airport by around 200 protesters rallying behind a security fence, some with holstered weapons, who also showed support for Sheriff Hanlin, who had been highly visible during press conferences about the shooting. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Hanlin had sent a letter to Vice President Joe Biden saying he would not enforce any new gun legislation he deemed to be unconstitutional.{{cite news |url = http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/gun-rights-activists-protest-obama-visit-to-roseburg/ |title = Strong emotions as Obama visits grieving Oregon town |work = The Seattle Times |first = Gosia |last = Wozniacka |date = October 9, 2015 |access-date = October 26, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151009235646/http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/gun-rights-activists-protest-obama-visit-to-roseburg/ |archive-date = October 9, 2015 |url-status = live }}

Although Harper-Mercer had substantial mental illness, he had never been involuntarily committed (which under federal and state law prohibits a person from purchasing a gun). Harper-Mercer was therefore able to pass a background check and bought a .380 semiautomatic handgun.{{cite news |first = Noelle |last = Crombie |title = UCC shooting: New gun law may have applied to deeply troubled shooter |date = September 15, 2017 |access-date = September 23, 2017 |newspaper = The Oregonian |url = http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2017/09/ucc_shooting_shooter_deeply_tr.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170923194200/http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2017/09/ucc_shooting_shooter_deeply_tr.html |archive-date = September 23, 2017 |url-status = live }} An Oregon law passed in 2017, which went into effect in 2018, allows law enforcement or family members to file a petition in state court for an "extreme risk protection order"; such an order, if granted, temporarily blocks an individual from purchasing or possessing deadly weapons if the individual is determined to present an "imminent threat to themselves or others." Had the law been in effect earlier, it is possible that Harper-Mercer could have been prevented from purchasing his weapon.

A memorial for the victims of the shooting was unveiled in December 2016.{{Cite web |url = https://www.opb.org/news/series/roseburg-shooting/pacific-power-green-oregon-umpqua-community-college-shooting-memorial/ |title = Pacific Power Unveils Memorial For Umpqua Community College Shooting |first = Vera |last = Westbrook |website = www.opb.org |access-date = February 11, 2020 |archive-date = September 10, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170910014431/http://www.opb.org/news/series/roseburg-shooting/pacific-power-green-oregon-umpqua-community-college-shooting-memorial/ |url-status = live }}

2015 Umpqua Community College shooting#Perpetrator

Shooting

Aftermath

Victims

= Fatalities =

= Injured =

Perpetrator

Reactions

See also

Notes

References

Further reading