A gunmen stalked the classrooms of an Oregon community college, singling out Christians, telling them they were going to meet god before shooting them. Chris Harper Mercer, 26 years old, armed with three handguns and a rifle, chose Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, as his killing ground on Thursday morning, killing at least nine people before dying in a shootout with two policemen. Seven others were hospitalized, three listed in critical condition.
The Washington Post reported this to be the 294th mass shooting in America this year, shootings in which 4 or more people were killed or injured. It also noted that we are presently at day 274 this year, meaning there is more than one mass shooting per day, on average.
Anastasia Boylan’s father, Stacy, told CNN that she described a chilling scene as Mercer entered the classroom and asked for the Christians to stand up.
“He said, ‘Good, because you’re a Christian, you’re going to see God in just about one second.’ And then he shot and killed them.”
Anastsia underwent surgery to treat a gunshot to her spine.
Autumn Vican told NBC News what her brother J.J. described. “Vicari said at one point the shooter told people to stand up before asking whether they were Christian or not. Vicari’s brother told her that anyone who responded ‘yes’ was shot in the head. If they said ‘other’ or didn’t answer, they were shot elsewhere in the body, usually the leg.”
The two policemen rushed to the scene after only a few minutes of shooting, confronting the gunman before any backup had arrived, .
Cassandra Welding told the New York Times that a middle-aged woman tried to shut the classroom door, but was shot several times in the stomach, while the gunman lurked outside the door. US Army veteran Chris Mintz was shot five times when he and another student charged the gunman in an attempt to save others. He is reported to be in stable condition after surgery.
