ROSEBURG, OR -- The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is releasing more details of how events unfolded at Umpqua Community College Thursday morning. The first 911 calls came into the dispatch center at 10:38 a.m. and the first law enforcement units were on scene at 10:44.
According to investigators, two Roseburg Police officers engaged the shooter with gunfire just two minutes later, at 10:46 a.m. And, two minutes after that, they reported "suspect down." The Oregon State Police Medical Examiner has determined the gunman's cause of death to be suicide.
Previous accounts have identified the shooter as 26-year-old Christopher Harper Mercer, although Sheriff John Hanlin has refused to name him. A spokesperson for the suspect's family released the following public statement: "We are shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific events that unfolded on Thursday, October 1. Our thoughts, our hearts and our prayers go out to all of the families of those who died and were injured."
Read more about the nine killed in the rampage, including statements from some of their families.
The Douglas County Sheriff released a number of ways those outside of Roseburg can help the community heal after the tragedy:
- Give to UCC relief efforts through the Greater Douglas United Way.
- Donate to the Umpqua Community College Foundation.
- Donate blood at your local Red Cross
- Ask those in your community with reader boards to post "I am UCC" or "We are UCC" or any other message they are moved to share.
- Via social media, download and share the "I am UCC" image.