ROSEBURG, Ore., Oct. 1 (UPI) — Several people were shot dead Thursday by a gunman at a small community college in southern Oregon, and several others were wounded before the shooter was killed by police, authorities said.
The shooting began at about 10:40 a.m. local time inside a science building on campus at Umpqua Community College in the town of Roseburg, Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. After shooting numerous people, the gunman was confronted and killed by responding officers, he said.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenbaum said at least 13 people died, Portland’s KGW-TV reported, but Hanlin said he was not able to confirm that death toll.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families,” Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said at a news conference in Portland, noting that the gunman was a 20-year-old man. It wasn’t immediately known whether he was a student at Umpqua.
“Thank you for your work, as this community reels from grief,” she said in thanking the first responders before she departed for Roseburg.
Several officials joined the governor in praising the initial police response. KGW reported that the gunman was shot just 11 minutes after the first 911 call to report the shooting was made.
“This is really kind of a shock for a community this size,” a Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy told KGW-TV. “My granddaughter attends [the college] and by the grace of God she was sick today.”
“We believe it was only one shooter,” said Douglas County Commissioner Chris Boice, who was elected in the small, tight-knit community last November and took office in January. “I probably know someone whose family was impacted by this first hand.”
“We need a lot of prayer at this point,” he added.
A mass emergency response is ongoing in Roseburg, authorities said. Several medical helicopters were being sent to the region to attend to at least six critically injured victims, The Oregonian reported.
Authorities with several jurisdictions responded to the shooting, including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and numerous law enforcement agencies are assisting in the investigation.
“We have got a tremendous amount of law enforcement help,” Sheriff Hanlin said, noting help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Marshals Service.
“This would be a disaster level response,” Jim Godbold, director of communications at PeaceHealth Riverbend Hospital, said.
The college, which has about 3,000 students, is located about 180 miles south of Portland.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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