By Maxine Bernstein
The Oregonian
PORTLAND, Ore. — Christopher Harper-Mercer took his own life after a shootout with two Roseburg detectives this week on the Umpqua Community College campus, the Douglas County sheriff announced Saturday.
The state medical examiner ruled the 26-year-old’s death a suicide, the sheriff said during an afternoon news briefing in Roseburg.
Sheriff John Hanlin released a timeline of the immediate police and emergency response to the first 911 call at 10:38 a.m. It showed that the first responders – two Roseburg detectives and a state trooper – arrived on campus six minutes later, at 10:44 a.m.
They heard radio dispatch reports that the shooter was in the science building, and shots were coming from Snyder Hall.
Within two minutes of their arrival, the Roseburg detectives got into a shootout with Harper-Mercer just outside Snyder Hall. Two minutes later, at 10:46 a.m., police alerted dispatch, “suspect down.’'
Oregon State Police is investigating the officer-involved shooting that followed the deadliest mass shooting in state history. Harper-Mercer killed nine people and wounded nine others. Authorities recovered a total of 14 firearms from him, six at the campus and now a total of eight at his home.
The investigation will be reviewed by the Douglas County District Attorney’s office, District Attorney Rick Wesenberg said.
Umpqua Community College’s campus will reopen at 7:30 a.m. Monday, but classes won’t resume until Oct. 12.
The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Team has arrived in Roseburg to “help us understand the why of this event,’' Hanlin said Saturday. Another national team composed of 16 mental health counselors was flown to Roseburg to “help our people’’ and community recover, he said.
Douglas County Fire Dist. 2 Chief Greg Marlar was among the first wave of emergency responders to reach the campus Thursday.
He said several wounded students walked towards him that morning outside Snyder Hall. They were bleeding from gunshot wounds; one to the hand, another in the lower limbs, but they were conscious and alert. He had them sit down outside, then he went into Snyder Hall to assess how many people were hurt.
“We felt the immediate area was safe,’' Marlar said.
Law enforcement led him into the English classroom. “It was a horrific scene,’' Marlar said. “There were many casualties. A lot of wounded, and deceased individuals, but I really didn’t have time to think about that. I knew that we had a job to do.’'
The chief, who oversees a 120-person agency, said he had no idea at the time that the dead included the son of one of his firefighters and the niece of a paramedic.
A total of 45 firefighters and emergency medics rushed out to the campus.
Marlar stepped back out to establish a command center, request additional ambulances and alert area hospitals to be ready for patients. His crews did what he described as 15-second assessments of the wounded, mainly determining whether they could breathe or be resuscitated, and be “tagged’’ by the severity of their wounds. They evacuated the most severely injured to ambulances and provided immediate care – opening up airways and controlling bleeding from gunshot wounds, Marlar said.
Firefighters heard rumblings that relatives of department members were among the victims. But it wasn’t confirmed until 7 p.m. Thursday that among those killed was Treven Anspach, 20, the son of firefighter Justin Anspach. Two hours later, the chief said the agency learned that Rebeka Ann Carnes, 18, the niece of paramedic Brian McFaddin, had also died.
Justin Anspach was not working Thursday, and McFaddin was working in another district, so they wouldn’t have been called to respond to the campus, the chief said. Marlar said he visited Anspach’s parents Thursday night.
“It’s one of those incidents you hope never to have to come across,’' Marlar said. “We have within our family people who have been affected by this. You always think it will happen somewhere else, and it won’t happen here. But it was very real, it did happen here. So it is personal.’'
The sheriff thanked the two Roseburg detectives who stopped the shooter from killing more people, the student who charged Harper-Mercer and suffered multiple gunshot wounds and everyone who assisted in the emergency response.
“To the families of the victims, our hearts are with you, and you know that our hearts will be with you forever,’' Hanlin said. “Please know that we consider your loved ones our heroes. They will never be forgotten.’'
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©2015 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.)