Oregon shooter’s mother wrote about guns in online forum

Armed suspect Chris Harper-Mercer walked into a class at Snyder Hall on Thursday, killing multiple and wounding several others before taking his own life.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The mother of the Oregon gunman who killed nine in a college classroom apparently wrote about her love of guns in an online forum, referring to places that attempt to pass firearms legislation as “lame states”.

The official also said the mother of 26-year-old gunman Christopher Harper-Mercer has told investigators he was struggling with a few mental health issues. The source is familiar with the investigation but wasn’t authorized to speak publicly because it is ongoing.

The twisted manifesto has not been released but is believed be two pages long.

Nutter, the pastor who was at the fairgrounds, said his service Sunday will include a question and answer panel of people who were affected by the shooting, including a medical professional and a student who was on lockdown in the library.

He and other students met with the college student-life director on Sunday night in preparation for their return. “Whatever it is, let the police determine what they find”, he said.

Harper-Mercer killed himself after police arrived on the scene, officials said.

He then rushed to open his church in Roseburg to anyone in need of counseling, and drove to the Douglas County Fairgrounds, where officials reunited students with family members.

Sheriff John Hanlin said Mercer, 26, was enrolled at the community college, where he opened fire in a writing class Thursday morning. “I was in your shoes and now my son’s in college”, she wrote.

Scroggins told those gathered at his church that his daughter survived because she was lying on the floor and partially covered by the body of a fellow student.

“I needed to be here”, said another student, Madysen Sanchez.

Chaplains who had been on campus said they were both helping with and participating in the healing process. Every time something like this happens, they talk about it and nothing gets done. “Don’t go to school tomorrow if you are in the northwest”.

Note: While maintaining our focus on the victims and community, KGW has chosen to identify the shooter in an effort to provide as many details about this situation as are available.

Obama is scheduled to visit Roseburg on Friday as part of a four-day West Coast trip.

In the wake of the shooting, President Barack Obama said that the USA public should “politicize” the debate about guns, telling reporters “The reporting is routine, my response here at this podium is routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it – we’ve become numb to this”.