Oregon gunman's death ruled a suicide

UPDATE (7:40 p.m.): A medical examiner has ruled the death of the Umpqua Community College gunman was a suicide. As police continue to interview hundreds of witnesses to Christopher Harper-Mercer’s shooting rampage on Thursday, they have learned he was registered for a class in the room where he opened fire.

Police also discovered another gun owned by Harper-Mercer, bringing the total number of weapons he possessed to 14. Six of those firearms were found on campus.

Witnesses are also reporting that Harper-Mercer gave one student in the classroom a package to give to authorities and called that student “the lucky one.” An anonymous law enforcement official confirmed police have a manifesto they recovered at the scene of the shooting, but would not disclose its contents.

UPDATE (Oct. 2, 7:15 p.m.): Authorities today identified the nine people shot and killed by Christopher Harper-Mercer in a mass shooting Thursday at a community college in Roseburg, Ore. The dead included eight students—some just out of high school and others embarking on second careers—and one English professor. They were:

Officials today also revealed more details about Harper-Mercer. The Army said he flunked out of basic training in 2008. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ben Garrett said Harper-Mercer was in the military for a little over a month at Fort Jackson, S.C., but was discharged for failing to meet the minimum standards.

UPDATE (Oct. 2, 1:43 p.m.): The young man who shot up a morning writing class at Umpqua Community College yesterday brought body armor, six guns, and five additional magazines with him, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Investigators found another seven firearms at his home.

Police are still looking for a motive for the shooting. It’s not clear whether Chris Harper-Mercer, 26, was a student at the college, but investigators found a receipt for textbooks in his backpack.

Neighbors and investigators described Harper-Mercer as “unfriendly,” and said they would see him sitting alone in the dark on his apartment balcony.

Social media profiles indicate Harper-Mercer had an obsession with other mass shootings. He recommended people watch the video shot by Vester Flanagan as he gunned down two of his former television station colleagues during an on-air interview in Virginia last month. Harper-Mercer also showed interest in accounts of the Irish Republican Army, the group known for its terror attacks in the 1980s.

Officials said it does not appear Harper-Mercer had any criminal history.

UPDATE (Oct. 2, 9:40 a.m.): Chris Harper-Mercer’s motive in a shooting rampage at an Oregon community college remains unknown, but witnesses are saying he singled out Christians for execution.

One witness told CNN that Harper-Mercer, who had three pistols and a semiautomatic rifle, asked his victims about their religion before shooting them. Another told NBC News a similar account, adding that Harper-Mercer was shooting Christians in the head and non-Christians in the legs or other areas of the body.

Local law enforcement would not comment on Harper-Mercer’s motive or even confirm his identity, which multiple news sources have published based on anonymous sources. “”You will never hear us mention his name,” Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said Thursday night, because “he in no way deserves it.”

As the community learns more about Harper-Mercer, stories of a hero who tried to stop him have emerged. Chris Mintz, a student and Army veteran, reportedly charged Harper-Mercer and was shot about five times. He is hospitalized right now.

UPDATE (Oct. 1, 10:15 p.m.): Officials have revised the death toll to 10 people, including the gunman, in the Umpqua Community College shooting in rural Oregon. Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said another seven people were injured. Those numbers were the “best, most accurate information we have at this time,” he said.

An official identified the gunman as 26-year-old Chris Harper-Mercer, a local man who reportedly had three firearms at the time of the shooting.

UPDATE (Oct. 1, 7 p.m.): President Barack Obama responded to the shooting at a community college in rural Oregon, saying Americans are becoming numb to such occurrences. Saying thoughts and prayers are no longer enough in such situations, the president repeated his call for tighter gun control.

A 20-year-old man entered a classroom this morning at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore., and started shooting, killing 13 people and injuring at least 13 others. The shooter also died.

Eighteen-year-old Kortney Moore told the Roseburg News-Review the gunman shot her teacher and asked others in her classroom about their religion before spraying more bullets.

UPDATE (Oct. 1, 5:10 p.m.): Fourteen people, including the gunman, are dead after a mass shooting at a community college in Roseburg, Ore. Gov. Kate Brown said the shooter was a 20-year-old man. Authorities did not say whether he was shot by police or killed himself. State police Lt. Bill Fugate told KATU-TV that at least 20 others were hurt.

OUR EARLIER STORY (Oct. 1, 3 p.m.): Police in Oregon say at least seven people have died, and another 20 are wounded, after a shooter opened fire on a community college campus.

The suspect reportedly is in custody.

Umpqua Community College, in Roseburg, is about 180 miles south of Portland. It has about 3,000 students enrolled.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.