OREGON—On October 1, Christopher Harper-Mercer, 26, open-fired on numerous students and staff members at Umpqua Community college, located in Douglas County, Oregon, killing 10 people and injuring 9. Victims ranged in age from 18 to 67.
According to student, Brady Winder, 26, the shooting took place at 10:38 a.m. The event allegedly took place in Snyder Hall, a building that houses the English and writing classes.
Courtney Moore, 18, described seeing her teacher shot in the head with a bullet that shot through the window. At that point, the shooter demanded everyone to stand up, state their religion and then proceeded to open fire.
Cassandra Welding, 20, described hearing popping balloon sounds. A middle aged woman behind her stood to shut the door, but was shot several times in the stomach, according to the New York Times.
Among the dead and injured are also survivors who witnessed the occurrence. Matthew Downing, 18, who according to news reports, was so traumatized that he didn’t speak, and was labeled the “The Lucky One” by Harper-Mercer. He has since spoken out about the incident in a recent statement.
“He looks directly at me and said, hey, kid with the glasses, you are the lucky one. I will not shoot you if you give this to the cops,” describes downing about the event. “I stood up and he pointed the gun at me and this is the moment I thought I was going to die. He paused for a second and then handed the envelope to me and said to sit in the very back seat and face him.”
According to Summer Smith, Downing’s mother noted in a statement, she believes that her son’s life was spared so that he could deliver the message to the police.
Tracy Heu, a survivor of the event, recalls to CNN that is she played dead that she wouldn’t be called out. She also claims that laying in a pool of blood from someone who had been shot next to her had saved her life.
“I didn’t want him to notice that I was still alive, so that he wouldn’t point me up,” says Heu. “He was telling (people) that he knows they {are} alive and confusing get up.”
According to CNN, Christopher Harper-Mercer’s mother, Laurel Mercer spoke of her love for firearms and her son’s emotional health. There was no indication that her son was violent.
“I keep two full mags in my Glock case. And the ARs & AKs all have loaded mags. No one will be ‘dropping’ by by my house uninvited without acknowledgment,” she allegedly writes in an Yahoo online post.
She also proceeded to write, “I love the long guns & I have an AK-47 en route.”
Sources confirming the online posts are unclear, but Mercer indicated that her son had mental health abnormalities. “He’s no babbling idiot nor is his life worthless.”
Christopher Mercer-Harper, who shot himself in the head two minutes after being seized by two cops was found to own 5 handguns, 1 long gun, a flak jacket and an abundance of ammunition. Eight additional firearms were also located in his apartment, in which he shared with his mother, Laurel Mercer.
Since the incident, President Barack Obama visited the Oregon community and has reportedly considered taking executive action on gun background checks, since visiting with the survivors and families of loved ones who were killed.
It has also been reported that President Obama used a speech at a fundraiser in San Francisco to raise his case for gun control. He was allegedly met with an applause when he stated the amount of gun violence taking place in the US is not normal, according to the Guardian.
“People ask me what I’m proudest of and what are my biggest frustrations as president,” Obama explained in a Tumblr posting. “My biggest frustration is that this society hasn’t been willing to take some basic steps to keep guns out of the hands of people who can do damage. We’re the only developed country where this happens. And it happens weekly. Our levels of gun violence is off the charts.”
Despite what has taken place in recent events, in light of the Sandy Hook Massacre, in which Congress was unable to pass a bipartisan bill which drafted as a result of the Newtown Massacre the nation remains divided on the issue of it’s right to bear arms. Obama replied with the results as “a pretty shameful day for Washington.”
According to Oregon Live, the National Rifle Association has enabled many gun-wielding laws to take place in restaurants, government buildings and airports and even churches and school staff. Many states have made it easier to obtain and carry a gun.
Governor Greg Abbot of Texas recently signed an open-carry and campus-carry laws that allows licensed owners to visibly carry their guns.
The NRA claims that the right to bear arms is a representation of freedom, but some Americans worry that guns place people’s lives in the hands of strangers who aren’t mentally equipped to handle such weapons.
President Obama hopes to implement action in his last 16 months in office regarding gun control policy.
