Umpqua Community College Shooting: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Umpqua Community College shooting

Umpqua Community College. (Facebook)

A mass shooting has been reported at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says.

Police said 10 people, including the shooter, were killed and seven others were injured. Earlier reports were that there were up to 15 killed and more than 20 injured. The gunman has been identified as Chris Harper Mercer, according to CBS News.

Police said the 26-year-old shooter is dead and there is no longer a threat. It’s not yet known if the gunman was a student or was affiliated with the southern Oregon school. He was armed with four guns, three handguns and an AR-15-style long gun, according to CNN.

Here’s what you need to know:


1. The Gunman Told Students to Stand Up & State Their Religion

Witnesses said the gunman told the students in a classroom to stand up and state their religion before he began firing away, the News-Review, a local newspaper, reports.

Kortney Moore, an 18-year-old student, told the newspaper that she was in her writing class in Snyder Hall when a shot came through a window. She said she saw her teacher get shot in the head and the gunman entered the room, telling people to get on the ground. Moore said he then told people to stand up and state their religion, before firing away. She was lying on the ground with people who were shot.

Police radio transmissions from the initial call reveal some of the chaos as officers rushed to the community college (listen to them above).

The first call came in as a shooter with one victim. Police were told the shooting happened at Snyder Hall, and the shooter was outside the door of a room, shooting into it.

One of the first officers on the scene said they were exchanging gunshots with the male shooter inside a classroom in Snyder Hall. The suspect was reported to be down about 9 minutes after the call came in.

A witness said the shooting happened in Professor Larry Levine’s class:

According to the university’s website, Levine is an assistant professor in the school’s English department.

Police, fire and medical personnel swarmed the school.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook, “At about 10:38 AM, the 911 center received a report of a shooting at Umpqua Community College. Police units from multiple juristictions have responded. Students and faculty members are being bused to the Douglas County Fairgrounds and can be picked up there. We have no further information at this time.”

You can listen to live police radio traffic from the scene at Broadcastify.com.

The FBI and ATF said agents are responding to the scene.


2. The Gunman May Have Warned About the Shooting Online

UCC, Roseburg, Oregon, Umpqua Community College, 4chan

(4Chan)

There are reports that the gunman may have warned about the shooting on the anonymous message board 4Chan.

CNN is reporting that police are investigating whether the posts were connected to the shooting.

The post Wednesday night at 7:19 p.m. local time said “Some of you guys are alright. Don’t go to school tomorrow if you live in the northwest.”

Some posters on the message board encouraged him and egged him on, while others told him it was a bad idea.

One person responded saying, “I suggest you enter a classroom and tell people that you will take them as hostages. Make everyone get in one corner and then open fire. Make sure that there is no way that someone can disarm you as it it possible. I suggest you carry a knife on your belt as last resort if someone is holding your gun.”

Another poster said, “You might want to target a girls school which is safer because there are no beta males throwing themselves for their rescue. Do not use a shotgun. I would suggest a powerful assault rifle and a pistol or 2x pistols. Possibly the type of pistols who have 15+ ammo.”


3. Students Tweeted the Chaos at the Scene of the Shooting

A student using the Twitter handle @KP_KaylaMarie was tweeting from the campus.

Other students also tweeted after the shooting:

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This Post was deleted by the Post author. Learn more

See more tweets about the shooting at the link below:


4. The School Is in a Quiet Town About 175 Miles From Portland

(Google Maps)

(Google Maps)

The school is located in Roseburg, Oregon, in Douglas County.

According to the school’s Wikipedia page, about 3,300 students attend Umpqua Community College full-time, and more than 16,000 attend on a part-time basis.

Umpqua Community College shooting

(Facebook)

“Nestled in the beautiful North Umpqua River Valley, Umpqua Community College is the regional center for higher education,” it says on its Facebook page.

UCC, a two-year college, was founded in 1964. It is on a 100-acre campus with 16 academic buildings, offices and other facilities.

It is about 175 miles south of Portland and 65 miles south of Eugene.


5. President Obama Spoke Emotionally About Gun Violence After the Shooting

For the 15th time, President Obama addressed the nation after a mass shooting. In an emotional speech, Obama said it has become routine.

“I hope and pray that I don’t have to come out again in my tenure as president to offer my condolences to families under these circumstances. But based on my experience as president, I can’t guarantee that,” he said.

“Someone will comment and say, ‘Obama politicized this issue.’ Well, this is something we should politicize. It is relevant to our common life together, to the body politic.”

Watch the full video above.