US college shooter committed suicide

Chris Harper Mercer, the gunman at Umpqua High School in Oregon, who killed 10 people, was determined to have committed suicide at the scene after exchanging gunfire with police.

This conclusion was made by the Oregon state medical examiner, CNN quoted Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin as saying yesterday.

State police are investigating the shooting further. Rita Cavin, interim president of Umpqua Community College, said Mercer was a student at the school, taking English and theater classes. He started the shooting in English class.

Mercer was said to be isolated from everyone around him. Photo: Myspace

Mercer served in the U.S. Army from November to December 2008 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. However, he was discharged for “failing to meet minimum administrative standards,” according to the Pentagon. He attended El Camino School in Torrance, California, from 2010 to 2012, a school spokesman said.

Investigators are also looking at blog posts by someone with an email address linked to Mercer, which mainly express anger about being isolated and unable to connect with others. Mercer's family said he had suffered from mental health issues and had been treated.

The page also features posts about two recent cases, one of Vester Flanagan, the killer of local reporters in Virginia, and a murder of an officer near Houston.

"I've noticed that many people like him are lonely and anonymous, until they spill a little blood and the whole world knows who they are. It seems the more people you kill, the more attention you get," the person wrote about Flanagan in late August.

Investigators found no connection between the shooter and any organization.

Mercer’s father, Ian Mercer, said he was devastated to hear his son was a killer. He also shared the loss with the families of the victims. Mercer lived with his mother and he had not seen his son since they moved away two years ago. The two had a close relationship but he had no idea Mercer had a gun.

Police found 14 guns, bullets and ammunition magazines linked to Mercer both at the school and at his apartment. All were legally owned by Mercer and family members.

Investigators said the first 911 call about the October 1 attack came in at 10:38 a.m. Six minutes later, two Roseburg police officers and an armored personnel carrier arrived at the scene. Around 10:46 a.m., gunfire broke out. Two minutes later, a “suspect down” was reported. More than 100 police officers were involved in the crackdown.

According to VNE