Ten people were killed and at least nine others wounded Thursday after a gunman opened fire at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, authorities said.

The revised figure of those injured — announced by Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin at an afternoon news conference — was significantly lower than the earlier reports of 20 people on the campus suffering injuries.

At the news conference, Hanlin declined to name the shooter, but later in the evening, multiple media outlets, including the Associated Press, the New York Times and CNN, identified him as 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer.

The shooter was among the 10 killed on the campus after law enforcement officers exchanged gunfire with him on the campus, authorities said. No officers were injured.

Local and federal authorities were looking into the shooter’s past, though little was known about him as of Thursday evening.

According to public records, Mercer lived in Torrance, California, before moving to Winchester, Oregon. His most recent home was not clear.

He had reached out to people online on several pen pal pairing websites, including spiritualpassions.com and morguepenpals.yolasite.com, and described himself as a college student living with his parents on the posts, stating he was, “shy at first but warm up quickly, better in small groups.”

Mercer also described himself as “not religious, but spiritual.”

In a posting in morguepenpals.yolasite.com he wrote liked movies: “Horror movies are the best, but I also like some action films, depending on the type, and I like crime dramas as well."

Officials said they would wait 24 hours to identify the victims late Thursday afternoon, but Kylie Fitzgerald told BuzzFeed News her cousin Cheyenne Fitzgerald, 17, was among those injured.

"She was shot in the stomach and lost a kidney," Kylie Fitzgerald said.

According to Kylie, Cheyenne underwent surgery Thursday afternoon. She was in an intensive care unit and "is doing better now," Kylie added.

Kylie said Cheyenne had only recently started studying at the college.

The case drew a sharp response from President Obama. Speaking from the White House, he said that the issue of stricter gun laws should be politicized because "we collectively are answerable to those families who lose their loved ones due to our inaction."

He also took rare aim at the National Rifle Association – without naming them – saying: "I would ask America's gun owners, who are using those guns properly and safely to hunt, for sport, for protecting their families...if your views are being properly represented by the organization that suggests it is speaking for you."

Hanlin said the severity of the shooting stunned the community.

“We are a peaceful community. We have our share of crime like any small community, but this is certainly huge shock to the entire community to have this level of crime … occur," Hanlin said.

“Be aware of their anguish … the families of the victims are the ones who will have the most difficult days ahead."

In January 2013, following the Newtown massacre, Hanlin wrote a letter to Vice President Joe Biden arguing against gun control.

“Gun control is NOT the answer to preventing heinous crime like school shooting,” he wrote in the letter.

When asked about it Friday morning, Hanlin said, “right now is not the time to have those conversations.”

One of the wounded is an 18-year-old female, and another is a 34-year-old female, PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center told KOIN-TV.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We are holding the community of Douglas county in our hearts today. To our first responders thank you for your work as our hearts are heavy with grief,” Oregon Governor Kate Brown said.

Police got 911 calls about the shooting at 10:38 a.m. PT, Oregon State Police Supt. Richard Evans said. When officers arrived, the shooter was in one of the buildings, Hanlin said.

"A shooter entered a science/English building known as Snyder Hall and proceeded to shoot," student Josh Simonis told BuzzFeed News.

