On October 1, Umpqua Community College, near Roseburg, Oregon, became the talk of the nation after a 26 year old student fatally shot and killed 9 people, and injured many more.

Christopher Harper-Mercer entered UCC during Thursday morning classes and began shooting students and teachers. Survivors say Harper-Mercer asked victims if they were Christian, and killed everyone who said they were.

Police showed up just minutes after the attack began, then continued to participate in a shootout with Harper-Mercer until he killed himself. After Harper-Mercer was dead, police and a bomb squad searched the campus and his apartment for explosives and other weapons. Luckily, no explosives were found, but a number of weapons were found, along with enough ammunition to continue the gunfight.

9 people were pronounced dead, including 6 students, and 9 others were seriously injured, but were able to recover safely at the hospital. While the UCC community waited for the police to respond, U.S. Veteran Chris Mintz took it upon himself to save others. After Harper-Mercer first began his hunt, Mintz ran to the library telling everyone to evacuate, then he went back to the room and attempted to lock Harper-Mercer in the room he was in. Unfortunately, he was shot through the door and was unable to keep him in the room, but his actions were nothing short of heroic, and greatly appreciated by everyone involved. A fun was set up in Mintz’s name hoping to pay for his hospital stay, and the fund has already raised $650,000.

After this horrific event, Umpqua Community College gained support from all across the country. President Obama responded to the situation by saying “Thoughts and prayers [do] not capture the heartache and grief and anger that we should feel, and it does nothing to prevent this carnage from being inflicted some place else in America next week or a couple months from now.” Oregon Governor Kate Brown immediately travelled to Roseburg to assess the situation and offer support for the community. The world of sports also showed their support by coming together in a moment of silence before a number of football and baseball games this week, and local teams Oregon and Oregon State both wore “UCC” stickers on their helmets or jerseys to show their support.

Our prayers and support will continue to be sent to the UCC community and the victims.