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The man who opened fire at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College Thursday, leaving 10 people dead and seven others wounded, has been identified as Chris Harper Mercer.
The gunman was identified late Thursday by law enforcement sources.
"A law enforcement official has identified the gunman as Chris Harper Mercer, 26, and said he had three weapons, handguns and at least one long gun.
"It was not clear whether he fired them all. Law enforcement officials said he lived in the Roseburg area, and they said one witness said that he asked about peoples' religions before he began firing.
"He appears to be an angry young man who was very filled with hate," one law enforcement official said." (Source: NYT)
Mercer died during a shootout with police.
Authorities responded to the Roseburg campus about 10:30 a.m. Thursday after receiving a report of a shooting on campus. Witnesses reported hearing shots fired from within one classroom, then a text was sent out saying the school was on lockdown.
During a news briefing Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said there were 10 fatalities and seven others were injured in the shooting. It was unclear if the gunman was among the 10 fatalities.
Earlier in the day, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum reported that 13 people were dead, including the shooter. The injured were taken to several area hospitals.
Two vigils were planned in Roseburg parks on Thursday night.
In his 15th statement on mass shootings since taking office, President Obama spoke from the White House saying another community is stunned with grief. He said his response to mass shootings in the United States is becoming routine.
“We are the only advanced country that sees these shootings every few months," he said.
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