Official: Ore. gunman ranted about lack of girlfriend

Matthew Diebel | USA TODAY

The gunman who killed nine people at a community college in Roseburg, Ore., reportedly ranted about not having a girlfriend in a document he left behind.

In the manifesto, a law enforcement source told The Associated Press, Christopher Harper-Mercer wrote something to the effect of: "Other people think I'm crazy, but I'm not. I'm the sane one." The writings were a couple of pages long.

The official also said the mother of the 26-year-old gunman, who killed himself as police closed in, told investigators he was struggling with mental health issues. The source is familiar with the investigation but wasn't authorized to speak publicly because it is ongoing.

Two days before the shootings, according to The New York Times, Harper-Mercer commented online in a post titled "How many girlfriends have you had?" by saying "0. Never had anyone." When pressed further by another user, he responded "Well, it means I've never been with anyone, no woman nor man (nor dog or animal or any other)."

The day after, responding to a comment that he "must be saving himself for someone special," he said, "Involuntarily so."

Meanwhile, the Times also reported that the gunman's mother, Laurel Harper, 64, shared his obsession with guns. In a series of online postings over a decade, the paper said, she wrote that she kept numerous firearms in her home and expressed pride in her knowledge about them, as well as in her son's expertise on the subject. She and her son also went to shooting ranges together.

In an online forum, Yahoo Answers, the Times said, Harper complained about "lame states" that limit the keeping of loaded firearms in homes, saying that she had AR-15 and AK-47 semiautomatic rifles, along with a Glock handgun. She also boasted that her son, who lived with her, was well versed in guns, citing him as her source of information on gun laws, saying he "has much knowledge in this field."

The paper also reported that Harper, who did not respond to messages asking for comment, used the forums to discuss her difficulties raising a son who she said struggled with Asperger's syndrome, an autism-related disorder. In the messages, she said she had some success in helping him overcome the condition. "I was in your shoes and now my son's in college," she wrote.

According to the Times, one piece of advice Harper, a nurse, gave for a parent with an autistic infant was to start reading to the child as soon as possible and to use expressive gestures. An online posting from six years ago said that she used to read aloud from Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal.

"And now my son invests in the stock market along with me, turns a profit and is working on a degree in finance. His language and reading skills are phenomenal. I tell you this because it's not too late for you to start helping your daughter."

Also Monday, some faculty, staff and students returned to the Umpqua Community College campus for the first time since the shooting, while President Obama announced he will travel to Oregon to visit privately with victims' families.

Classes do not resume until next week, but some students came to the campus to pick up belongings they left behind Thursday when they fled. Others met with counselors to discuss their trauma and grief, the AP reported.

Obama said he will visit Roseburg on Friday as he opens a four-day trip to the West Coast. No additional details about his visit were immediately available.