Oregon gunman’s dad, SoCal resident says he’s as shocked as anyone

Boylan said he doesn’t know what was in it. I don’t know what that’s about, he said.

Harper Mercer, whom a neighbour said would often sit on his balcony alone with just one small light on, moved to the United States with his family when he was young.

The 26-year-old, who was shot dead by police after a shootout at the Umpqua Community College, had expressed a disdain for religion online and had also expressed support for the IRA. Webb said she occasionally heard him having temper tantrums in his apartment. They could not confirm whether the writings were in a box.

Nine other people were injured in the rampage, including one woman who was shot in the head, officials said. The suspected gunman, later identified as Harper-Mercer, killed at least 10 people and wounded seven before dying in a confrontation with law enforcement, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said Mercer – whom he has refused to identify by name so as not to give him notoriety – exchanged fire with two officers who had rushed to the scene before committing suicide.

Those killed are Lucero Alcaraz, 19; Treven Taylor Anspach, 20; Rebecka Ann Carnes, 18; Quinn Glen Cooper, 18; Kim Saltmarsh Dietz, 59; Lucas Eibel, 18; Jason Dale Johnson, 34; Lawrence Levine, 67; and Sarena Dawn Moore, 44. The average age of its 13,600 students was 38 during the 2013-2014 school year. “She said they were going to go stay in a motel”.

“And then he shot and killed them.” Armed with three pistols – including a 9mm Glock and.40-calibre semi-automatic Smith & Wesson – a rifle and five additional magazines, Harper Mercer moved from classroom to classroom, firing at his victims in an attack thought to have lasted around a minute.

Los Angeles Superior Court records show Harper-Mercer’s parents were married in 1989, the year he was born, separated in 1990, and that their divorce was finalised in 2006.

The shooter’s apartment was found to have weapons in it during an inspection of the residence. In the aftermath of a mass shooting, a few well-meaning person-maybe a cop, maybe a relative of one of the victims-will inevitably enjoin the media to withhold the attacker’s name, in order to prevent copycat killings and deny the shooter the notoriety that he so clearly craved.

“He was a little odd, like sensitive to things”, said Rebecca Miles, who took a theater class with him. A Torrance police spokesman confirmed Harper-Mercer attended the centre.

Witnesses said Christopher Harper Mercer asked potential victims their religion before opening fire on Thursday.

She said the area where they live between Victory Boulevard to the north, Oxnard Street to the south, Lindley Avenue to the east and Reseda Boulevard to the west is “a nice neighborhood”.

Investigators are pursuing blog posts by someone with an email address associated with Harper-Mercer. Switzer Principal Len Hernandez said Friday that the school had no comment and does not share confidential student information.

Two officials said that after the shooting, the gunman’s family told investigators that he suffered from mental health issues and had sought treatment.

Lithium_Love ended the post by encouraging readers to watch the footage of the Roanoke shooting – “a short video but good nonetheless”, he said.

A new report claims someone appearing to be Mercer wrote longingly of the attention given to Vester Lee Flanagan after he shot a television reporter and cameraman on air in Virginia. “Seems the more people you kill, the more you’re in the limelight”, the post said.