10 Dead and 9 Injured in Oregon Community College Shooting
Imagine getting a call that your child, relative, spouse or friend was brutally killed while at school, a place where people go to create a positive future. On Oct. 1, 10 people were killed and nine others were left injured after Chris Harper- Mercer opened fire at the Umpaqua Community College in Oregon.
Police arrived at the campus within minutes after receiving the call that there was an active shooter. Although police responded promptly and were able to get things under control fast, nothing could have prepared them for what they were about to witness. Police found bloody and wounded bodies scattered across multiple classrooms. Some were pronounced dead at the scene while others were rushed to nearby hospitals. Among the dead was Mercer as well, who had shot and killed himself before police were able to make an arrest. Mercer was found covered in full body armor with five pistols and a semiautomatic rifle.
No one knows exactly what made Mercer commit this violent act, but it does seem that he may have targeted certain people. Anastasia Boylan, one of Mercer’s victims, told her father that Mercer ordered students that were Christian to stand and once they did he said, “Good, because you’re a Christian, you’re going to see God in just about one second,” then killed them. Many believe this is strange, because Mercer also grew up as a Christian.
In a speech after the shooting, President Barack Obama showed a lot of anger towards having to address the nation for the 11th time about a mass shooting. He talked passionately about America being the only country that keeps encountering situations like these, and about how we need to come together as a whole to change gun control laws, because he can’t do it on his own.
