Oregon Gunman Has Tarzana Ties

By BRENDAN KRISEL (Patch Staff)

A gunman, who opened fire Thursday at a rural Oregon community college killing at least 10 people, was from the South Bay, and his father still lives in Tarzana.

Police identified the shooter as Chris Harper Mercer, a 26-year-old Oregon resident. According to The Los Angeles Times, he formerly lived in Torrance with his mother. His father is a resident of Tarzana, according to the newspaper.

A nearby hospital activated “disaster level” response procedures after reports that up to 20 others were wounded.

The shooting took place at Umpqua Community College in the southwest part of the state. News reports conflicted on the number of dead.

Kourtney Moore, 18, was in the classroom that the shooter targeted. She told the News-Review Today, that she saw her teacher get shot in the head. Then the gunman entered the classroom and ordered everyone onto the ground. Later, the shooter asked people to stand up and state their religion before he started firing.

Brady Winder, 23, was in the room next door when the shooting started.

“They left “like ants, people screaming, “Get out!” Winder told the News-Review Today.

CNN quoted the father of shooting victim Anastasia Boylan, who spoke to her father before going into surgery for a gunshot wound to the back. She described the gunman asking Christians to stand up before shooting them.

“And they would stand up and he said, ‘Good, because you’re a Christian, you’re going to see God in just about one second,’” Boylan’s father, Stacy, told CNN, relaying her account. “And then he shot and killed them.”

He engaged in a shootout with law enforcement and was killed, said Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin during a press conference. Hanlin said that the shooting was a “huge shock,” to the small community of Roseburg, Oregon.

“My heart is heavy as details of today’s shooting become available,” Gov. Kate Brown said earlier in a statement. “While it is still too early to know all of the facts, the effects of an incident such as this one are long-lasting. Please join me in keeping the victims and their families, as well as first responders, in your thoughts.”

President Barack Obama, in an impassioned speech Thursday night, made arguably his most pointed remarks yet about the need for stricter gun laws.

“This is a political choice that we make to allow this to happen every few months in America,” Obama said. “We collectively are answerable to those families who lose their loved ones because of our inaction.”

You can see video of his full remarks below: