Oregon shooting victims named; community mourns

Morgan Baskin | college.usatoday.com

The 26-year-old gunman in the deadly shooting spree in southern Oregon is believed to have left behind a document that glorified mass killings and bitterly referred to his lonely existence with few human contacts outside of the Internet, a law enforcement official said Friday.

Ten people were killed -- including the gunman -- and another 9 injured during the Thursday classroom shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore.

On Thursday, the shooting prompted a visibly frustrated President Obama to renew his calls for more gun regulation. That night, hundreds of people gathered in Roseburg to remember the victims, who have yet to be named.

A federal law enforcement source identified the gunman, who was killed during an exchange of gunfire with officers, as a local 26-year-old Oregon man, Chris Mercer.

An army veteran is recovering in the hospital after standing up to the shooter. Chris Mintz, 30, was shot repeatedly after he jumped into action to save the lives of people in his classroom, his family members told WFMY-TV.



RELATED: Oregon community college shooter was shy, 'not religious'

Umpqua Community College posted on Twitter that it will be closed until Monday, Oct. 5. Student activities for the weekend have been cancelled.

Authorities confiscated 13 weapons associated with the shooter, six at the sight of the killings and seven at his apartment, Celinez Nunez, assistant agent in charge at Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told reporters Friday. Nunez said all the weapons had been purchased legally by the shooter or members of is family.

As details came to light, Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin named the victims who died:



Lucero Alcaraz, 19, of Roseburg, whose sister posted on Facebook that she won scholarships to cover her college costs;

Quinn Glen Cooper, 18, of Roseburg, whose family said he loved dancing and voice acting;

Kim Saltmarsh Dietz, 59, an outdoors lover who was taking classes at the same time as her daughter;

Lucas Eibel, 18, of Roseburg, who was studying chemistry and loved volunteering with animals;

Jason Johnson, 33, whose mother told NBC News that he successfully battled drug abuse and was in his first week of college;

Lawrence Levine, 67, of Glide, an assistant professor of English at the college;

Sarena Dawn Moore, 44, of Myrtle Creek;

Treven Taylor Anspach, 20, of Sutherlin; and

Rebecka Ann Carnes, 18, of Myrtle Creek.

Umpqua Community College is one of many schools nationwide that bans the possessions of guns on campuses.

“Possession, use, or threatened use of firearms (including but not limited to BB guns, air guns, water pistols, and paint guns) ... is prohibited on college property," reads Umpqua's safety and security policy.

The state's laws on guns, however, are nebulous and conflicting: A September 2011 decision by the Oregon Court of Appeals overturned a ban on concealed weapons on campus, effectively legalizing the possession of concealed guns -- with the appropriate permit -- on college campuses. The next March, Oregon’s state board of higher education unanimously approved a policy banning guns from classrooms, buildings, residence halls and events, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Essentially, concealed weapons are legal on Oregon college grounds -- except inside the buildings.



RELATED: Recent campus shootings raise safety concerns

"We are deeply saddened by these events, and our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the shooting," the American Association of Community Colleges said in an emailed statement. "These types of occurrences are not unheard of at community colleges. We are committed to supporting on-campus safety and security measures at our colleges, with a priority emphasis on prevention whenever possible. ... We stand with our friends at Umpqua Community College and offer them our full support."

Twitter users reached out Thursday to express their grief for the victims.

My thoughts are with the families and victims of today's tragedy. — Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) October 1, 2015

I can’t imagine what the families of UCC are going through. The world is rising up to hold you in the light. I hope you can feel our love. — Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) October 1, 2015

I need to see my Family my whole family my blue and white family 💙 — Jace Martineau (@JaceMartineau) October 1, 2015

Doug Stanglin, Trevor Hughes, Kevin Johnson and the USA TODAY Network contributed to this report.



This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.