Gunman barges into Oregon college; asks students to state their religion, kills 12

Oregon: A gunman opened fire at an Oregon community college Thursday, killing at least a dozen people before dying in a shootout with police, authorities said. The killer, identified only as a 20-year-old man, invaded a classroom and demanded that people stand up and state their religion before spraying more bullets, one student reported. Authorities shed no light on the gunman’s motive and said they were investigating. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said 13 people were dead after the attack at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, about 180 miles south of Portland. It was not immediately clear whether that number included the gunman. [caption id=“attachment_2452470” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Police search students at Umpqua community college in Roseberg, Oregon. AFP[/caption] A student Kortney Moore said newspaper that she was in a writing class when a shot came through a window. The gunman entered her classroom and told people to get on the ground. The man then started asking people to stand up and state their religion and opened fire. Lorie Andrews, who lives across the street from the campus, said she heard what sounded like fireworks followed by sirens. She walked up the road and spoke to students who had streamed out. “One girl came out wrapped in a blanket with blood on her,” Andrews said. Hours after the attack, a visibly angry President Barack Obama spoke to reporters, saying the US is becoming numb to mass shootings and that the shooters have “sickness” in their minds. Repeating his support for tighter gun-control measures, he said thoughts and prayers are no longer enough in such situations because they do nothing to stop similar attacks from happening a few weeks or months later. Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said the gunman was killed during an exchange of gunfire with officers. The sheriff did not say whether the shooter was killed by officers or took his own life. AP