Reports Say As Many As 10 Dead In Oregon College Shooting

Local resident Marilyn Kittelman, whose 17-year-old son attends the college, said he texted her as the tragedy unfolded while he hid in his classroom in a nearby building.

Though it’s not yet confirmed by police, there are preliminary reports of at least 20 people being injured. “We don’t know which one of our colleagues are down”, he said.

Agents from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) are now at the scene in Roseburg.

Joe Olson retired in June from his position as president of Umpqua Community College in Roseburg.

In a brief statement to reporters, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown described the gunman as a 20-year-old man.

“At the president’s request, he will continue to receive updates throughout the day”, the official said. It is the regional center for higher education in the North Umpqua River Valley and offers certificate and associate degrees and is primarily a commuter campus.

Senator Jeff Kruse spoke to KOIN 6 about the shooting, saying many facts are unconfirmed and that he had gotten conflicting reports about the shooter’s identity. He also expressed gratitude for the first responders.

Boice told CNN that the shooter is in custody, but he was unaware whether the gunman was injured.

A sheriff’s spokesman said the threat had subsided over the noon hour.

Umpqua is a two-year school with about 3,300 full-time students and 16,000 part-time students. “There was an exchange of gunfire, the (male) shooter was neutralized”, he said adding that the shooter was deceased. Roseburg is roughly 180 miles south of Portland.

Umpqua Community College is a major institution in that part of the state, Manning says. Its website was down Thursday. The shooting reportedly started in Snyder Hall.

Neither state police nor the sheriff’s office immediately returned calls from The Associated Press seeking details. It later tweeted that there were “multiple casualties” but did not elaborate.

Kortney Moore told the Roseburg News-Review newspaper that she was in a writing class when a shot came through a window.

The Oregon Attorney General said at least 13 people were confirmed dead.