The Oregon college gunman who murdered at least nine people has been named as Chris Harper-Mercer – a 26-year-old with links to Britain who celebrated other mass murderers and said: ‘The more people you kill, the more you’re in the limelight’.

The killer, who said he idolized the IRA and Nazis, on Thursday walked into Umpqua Community College in Roseburg wearing body armor and carrying three handguns and a rifle before shooting dead students.

Witnesses said he had made his victims stand-up at gunpoint and say if they were Christian before telling them: ‘Good, you’ll see God in a second’ and shooting them in the head. Survivors only saved their own lives by playing dead.

After his bloody rampage was reported to police he was then killed in a gunfight with officers with one source saying: ‘He appears to be an angry young man who was very filled with hate’.

His British father Ian Mercer, who lives in California, said: ‘I’m just as shocked as everybody at what happened. I’ve just been talking to the police and the FBI. That’s all the details I have right now, is what you know already.

He added: ‘Obviously, it’s been a devastating day. Devastating for me and my family’.

Neighbors said Harper-Mercer was a visibly ‘anxious’ and friendless loner who lived with his mother and surfed dating sites looking for love. He was often seen wearing camouflage clothing and may even have joined the U.S. Army.

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Suspect: Chris Harper-Mercer, 26, has been identified as the gunman at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg - an American with links to Britain who appeared to celebrate Nazis and the IRA

Suspect: Chris Harper-Mercer, 26, has been identified as the gunman at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg – an American with links to Britain who appeared to celebrate Nazis and the IRA

Chris Harper-Mercer

Chris Harper-Mercer

Menacing: Chris Harper-Mercer in two undated photos, one posted to a dating site (left) and one posted to his MySpace account (right)

Tragedy: A victim covered in a bloody blanket is seen being wheeled to an ambulance from the college campus after Thursday's shooting, where at least nine died

Tragedy: A victim covered in a bloody blanket is seen being wheeled to an ambulance from the college campus after Thursday’s shooting, where at least nine died

More than 100 law enforcement officials were on the scene of the deadly shooting in rural Oregon

More than 100 law enforcement officials were on the scene of the deadly shooting in rural Oregon

People gather for a candlelight vigil at Stewart Park in Roseburg Thursday evening hours after the mass shooting

People gather for a candlelight vigil at Stewart Park in Roseburg Thursday evening hours after the mass shooting

He used a reference to a Nazi war medal as his dating profile name, and posted glowing reviews of Nazi memorabilia he had bought online.

His Myspace page is littered with images glorifying masked IRA fighters, lauding them as ‘undefeated’ and ‘looking cool’ – right next to images of him holding a rifle.

Harper-Mercer wrote in a post this August about how much he admired Vester Flanagan, the Roanoke shooter who killed a cameraman and newscaster at the television station where he had been employed after getting fired.

On that same profile it also showed that just three days ago Harper-Mercer uploaded This World Surviving Sandy Hook BBC Documentary 2015 for people to watch on the file sharing site.

Do you know Chris Harper-Mercer or his family? email: news@mailonline.co.uk 

‘On an interesting note, I have noticed that so many people like him are all alone and unknown, yet when they spill a little blood, the whole world knows who they are. A man who was known by no one, is now known by everyone,’ wrote Harper-Mercer of Flanagan.

‘His face splashed across every screen, his name across the lips of every person on the planet, all in the course of one day. Seems the more people you kill, the more you’re in the limelight.’

He closed by saying; ‘Also, if anyone gets the chance, go on youtube and see the footage of him shooting those people. It’s a short video but good nonetheless. Will post more later.’

According to his profile on a dating site Harper-Mercer is ‘mixed race,’ a ‘conservative Republican,’ ‘not religious’ and lives with his mother – and appears to have a large family from Britain.

So far nine victims have died plus the gunman making 10 fatalities in total.

‘At this time, we are reporting and can confirm 10 fatalities in the shooting,’ Douglas County sheriff’s deputies, Sheriff John Hanlin said Thursday evening.

‘This number is the best, most accurate information that we have at this time.’

In shock: The father of Chris Harper-Mercer, Ian Mercer, who is British, said he was shocked that his son has gone on a murderous rampage

In shock: The father of Chris Harper-Mercer, Ian Mercer, who is British, said he was shocked that his son has gone on a murderous rampage

A DHS police investigator is seen with a canine at residential location believed to be the apartment where Harper-Mercer lived with his mother

A DHS police investigator is seen with a canine at residential location believed to be the apartment where Harper-Mercer lived with his mother

Hannah Miles (center) is reunited with her sister (left) and father Gary Miles (right) after the shooting

Hannah Miles (center) is reunited with her sister (left) and father Gary Miles (right) after the shooting

Students, staff and faculty with their hands up are evacuated from Umpqua Community College in Roseburg

Students, staff and faculty with their hands up are evacuated from Umpqua Community College in Roseburg

Police search students outside Umpqua Community College in Roseburg after Thursday’s rampage

Gallery: On the killer's MySpace page he has several posts and pictures where he appears to praise the IRA and their terrorist activities

Gallery: On the killer’s MySpace page he has several posts and pictures where he appears to praise the IRA and their terrorist activities

Harper-Mercer’s parents Ian Mercer and Laurel Harper were married until 2006, and he lived in an apartment complex near the shooting.

His motive is still not known at this time, but he came armed with three pistols, a rifle, body armor and a large amount of ammunition.

He demanded that his victims lay on the ground and then made them stand up one at a time and state their religion before opening fire, according to traumatized eyewitnesses. Christians were shot execution style while others were shot in the body.

Autumn Vicari told NBC News her 19-year-old brother J.J. was in a classroom when Harper-Mercer opened fire but managed to escape. He saw the gunman ask victims if they were Christian and if they responded ‘yes’, he shot them in the head. If they said ‘other’ or refused to answer he shot them in the body.

Kortney Moore said she was in her writing class when a bullet went through the window hitting her teacher in the head. Soon after, the shooter was inside the room demanding to know the religion of her fellow students.

The 18-year-old laid on the ground next to some of the victims shot by the gunman but managed to make it out alive.  

Anastasia Boylan, 18, was one of Harper-Mercer’s victims who only survived by playing dead.

Her father Stacy spoke to CNN and described his daughter’s horrifying ordeal.

‘And they would stand up and he said, “Good, because you’re a Christian, you’re going to see God in just about one second,”‘ said Stacy.

‘And then he shot and killed them.’

His daughter was shot in the spine but still alive when Harper-Mercer demanded she stand back up, but she refused and instead acted dead so he moved on, her father said.

Anastasia also told her father that Harper-Mercer shot her professor first point black, saying; ‘I’ve been waiting to do this for years.’

A heroic student charged at the Oregon college shooter and was shot five times as he tried to save his classmates, his family said.

Army veteran Chris Mintz, 30, was taken to hospital following the massacre.

His cousin Derek Bourgeois told DailyMail.com: ‘I was told he went after the shooter.’

‘There was no way he was going to stand around and watch something this horrific happen.’

Bourgeois, who lives in North Carolina, said no vital organs were hit when Mintz was shot multiple times and he is expected to recover after spending most of Thursday in surgery.

Student Cassandra Welding called her mother when she saw her first classmate get shot.

‘I heard a really loud ka-pow noise, almost like a balloon popping, and we, all of our classmates, jumped and we did not know what it was,’ Welding said.

‘We knew something wasn’t right, and so a classmate of mine went to go open the door to see what was happening next door to where the shooting occurred, and she opened the door and, unfortunately, she got shot twice and she fell down and collapsed.’

She was shot in the arm and abdomen and a fellow student performed CPR.

‘I heard her breathing was really labored, she was like gasping for air, and we were just in frantic mode at that point,’ she said.

Then Welding called her mother, Lisa, who was able to advise the classroom over the phone.

‘First thing, make sure all of the doors are secured and make sure you start barricading,’ Welding told her daughter. ‘If there’s anything there, I don’t care how, just make sure you guys are all safe to keep somebody out.’  

Brady Winder, 23, of Portland, was on campus when he described hearing a ‘thud.’

He told The News-Review he then then heard a barrage of gunfire and saw students fleeing ‘like ants.’

Army veteran Chris Mintz (pictured in the hospital, recovering) was shot five times as he charged at the Oregon college shooter, his cousin told DailyMail.com

Army veteran Chris Mintz (pictured in the hospital, recovering) was shot five times as he charged at the Oregon college shooter, his cousin told DailyMail.com

CHRIS HARPER-MERCER BLOG POST ABOUT VESTER FLANAGAN

‘As I’m sure you all know, a few days ago there was a shooting in Virginia. A man named Vester Flanagan opened fire on two former colleagues on live TV. He also recorded his own footage of the event. While reading about the event, I read some excerpts of his manifesto the media was releasing. And I have to say, anyone who knew him could have seen this coming. People like him have nothing left to live for, and the only thing left to do is lash out at a society that has abandoned them.

‘His family described him as alone, no partner/lover. A victim not only of his own perception but also of our social media soaked environment. He posted the footage on Facebook and twitter as well tweeting while he was running from the cops because he wanted the world to see his actions, much like many others post menial and trivial details of their life online and expect us to see it. Only his was at least a bit more interesting.

‘On an interesting note, I have noticed that so many people like him are all alone and unknown, yet when they spill a little blood, the whole world knows who they are. A man who was known by no one, is now known by everyone. His face splashed across every screen, his name across the lips of every person on the planet, all in the course of one day. Seems the more people you kill, the more you’re in the limelight.

‘Sorry if this seems a bit disjointed, but these are just my thoughts on the matter. I thought I’d post this seeing as how my last blog post generated some good comments.

‘Also, if anyone gets the chance, go on YouTube and see the footage of him shooting those people. It’s a short video but good nonetheless. Will post more later.’

Umpqua Community College alumnus Donice Smith (L) is embraced after she said one of her former teachers was shot dead

Umpqua Community College alumnus Donice Smith (L) is embraced after she said one of her former teachers was shot dead

Friends and family are reunited with students at local fairgrounds after the deadly shooting

Friends and family are reunited with students at local fairgrounds after the deadly shooting

Students, staff and faculty are evacuated from Umpqua Community College in Roseburg shortly after the shooting

Students, staff and faculty are evacuated from Umpqua Community College in Roseburg shortly after the shooting

At least one injured woman was shot in the chest. The casualties were transported to different hospitals  

At least one injured woman was shot in the chest. The casualties were transported to different hospitals

A girl is comforted shortly after being evacuated from Umpqua Community College

A girl is comforted shortly after being evacuated from Umpqua Community College

Police were checking students' backpacks as a precaution before busing them off campus 

Police were checking students’ backpacks as a precaution before busing them off campus

Bronte Hart, who lived in the apartment below Harper-Mercer and his mother said the young man ‘seemed really unfriendly’ and that he would often ‘sit by himself in the dark in the balcony with this little light.’

She also said that his mother was seen ‘crying her eyes out’ on Thursday.

The shooter’s stepsister was shocked by the news.

‘I don’t know what to say. I’m shaking right now,’ said Carmen Nesnick in an interview with NBC Los Angeles.

‘He was a nice guy. He put everyone before himself. It doesn’t sound right because he wanted everyone to be happy.’

She also said that she had not seen her stepbrother in a year, and that he was born in England before moving to the United States.

Ian Harper, the father of the gunman who is divorced from the young man’s mother, told CBS Los Angeles; ‘I am just as shocked as anybody at what happened today.’

The Los Angeles Times spoke to former neighbors of Harper-Mercer and his mother Laurel who described the pair as loners.

They also said that Harper-Mercer, who would often wear camouflage pants tucked into black boots, seems to carry around a black case with a gun inside and loved target shooting.

Rosario Lucumi, 51, said that mother Laurel would frequently call her son ‘baby’ despite the fact that he was an adult, and would get involved in disputes over loud noises and at one point a cockroach infestation she said was keeping her son awake at night.

Lucimi’s daughter, Rosario Espinoza, said the young man always appeared ‘anxious’ and ‘nervous.’

‘He was a little odd, like sensitive to things,’ said Rebecca Miles, who took a theater class with Mercer, while another neighbor, Steven Fisher, described him as ‘skittish’.

‘His demeanor, the way he moved, always looking around,’ Fisher said. ‘I got a bad vibe from him.’

Shortly after the mass shooting, President Obama addressed the nation demanding stronger gun laws, saying that the country has become ‘numb’ to these events.

He also asked that the public look at the number of Americans killed by guns over the past ten years compared to the number killed by terrorist acts.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 153,144 people were killed by homicide in which firearms were used between 2001 and 2013, the last year that data are available reports NBC News.

The Global Terrorism Database – which uses a criteria to determine terrorist attacks but also includes acts of violence that are more ambiguous in goal – estimates that 3,046 people in the U.S. died in terrorist or possible terrorist attacks between 2001 and 2014.

The Oregon sheriff dealing with the shooting is a known gun rights activist. In January 2013 after the Sandy Hook shooting he wrote to Vice President Joe Biden in opposition to further gun control, the New York Daily News reported.

Limiting gun access was ‘not the answer to preventing heinous crimes like school shootings’, he wrote, imploring the White House not to ‘tamper with or amend’ the second amendment.

FBI INVESTIGATING IF THE OREGON SHOOTER WARNED OF MASSACRE ONLINE HOURS BEFORE HE MURDERED 10

The FBI is today investigating whether a warning message on an online forum was posted by the shooter hours before he murdered 10 students at an Oregon college.

Officers are probing whether Chris Harper-Mercer, 26, wrote the anonymous message on bulletin board 4chan: ‘Don’t go to school tomorrow if you are in the northwest.’

It was written at 1.19am yesterday morning and the first shots were fired at Umpqua Community College at 10.38am.

Faceofmalawi has been unable to verify the authenticity of the message, although police are said to be treating it seriously because 4chan has been used my school shooters in the past.

In 2013, 18-year-old student Neil Allan Macinnis shot dead two women at a Virginia college – before the killing he posted on 4chan asking users to ‘wish him luck.’

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A sinister warning message purportedly from the shooter who opened fire at an Oregon college allegedly appeared on an internet forum last night.  Dailymail.com can not verify the authenticity of the message and has contacted 4chan for a response

A sinister warning message purportedly from the shooter who opened fire at an Oregon college allegedly appeared on an internet forum last night.  Dailymail.com can not verify the authenticity of the message and has contacted 4chan for a response

History: In 2013, 18-year-old student Neil Allan Macinnis (pictured) shot dead two women at a Virginia college - before the killing he posted on 4chan asking users to 'wish him luck'

History: In 2013, 18-year-old student Neil Allan Macinnis (pictured) shot dead two women at a Virginia college – before the killing he posted on 4chan asking users to ‘wish him luck’

The message, which is time stamped 19:19 p.m, continued: ‘happening thread will be posted tomorrow morning. so long space robots.’

‘Will post again in am, 10 min countdown. Won’t say more to much to prepare.’

The alleged post is no longer visible on the website – the cached version was first posted on Reddit.

Under the disturbing message, many users encouraged the person to go ahead with their threat and even advised the poster on the best ways to kill people.

One user wrote: ‘I suggest you enter a classroom and tell people that you will take them as hostages. Make everyone get in one corner and then open fire.

Students, teachers and members of the community gathered to pay tribute to the victims of the shooting

People wait for information at the local fairgrounds where students from Umpqua Community College were taken

People wait for information at the local fairgrounds where students from Umpqua Community College were taken

People gather at a road block near the entrance to Umpqua Community College, in Roseburg, Oregon Thursday following a deadly shooting

People gather at a road block near the entrance to Umpqua Community College, in Roseburg, Oregon Thursday following a deadly shooting

Multiple ambulances are pictured on the scene with at least one patient on a gurney at the Roseburg campus 

Multiple ambulances are pictured on the scene with at least one patient on a gurney at the Roseburg campus

Out in full force: Heavily armed police officers walk on the UCC campus Thursday after the shooting 

Out in full force: Heavily armed police officers walk on the UCC campus Thursday after the shooting

Security sweep: Authorities move from building to building to secure the campus

Security sweep: Authorities move from building to building to secure the campus

A bullet casing is marked at the scene of the massacre in Roseburg, Oregon, where 

A bullet casing is marked at the scene of the massacre in Roseburg, Oregon, where

Police described how they exchanged fire with the gunman who went on the rampage at the Umpqua Community College in dramatic 911 dispatcher recordings.

The officers described how they shot at the attacker as he was standing next to a library as 35 people were ‘piled in the hall’ in fear of their lives.

The recordings capture the moment the gunman is shot dead when an officer says: ‘The suspect is down’.

The dispatcher describes the incident as a ‘major trauma’ and asks for all available ambulances to be sent to the scene.

The recordings were made by emergency services in Roseburg, Oregon and made public by Broadcastify.

They show that police in the rural town try to keep their calm as the full scale of the horror becomes apparent.

According to Douglas County Police, the incident began in Snyder Hall, a large lecture theater used by the science department.

In the recordings officer says: ‘Exchanging shots with him. He’s in a classroom on the, it’s gonna be the South East side of the hall.

The dispatcher says: ‘Gunshots with the male in the classroom on the South East side of Synder Hall’.

The officer says: ‘Unconfirmed report he’s got a long gun.’

The dispatcher says: ‘He’s next to the library, there’s about 35 people in the hall piled in on lockdown’.

Sirens blare in the background and after a pause another officer says: ‘The suspect is down’.

The dispatcher confirms and says: ‘Code 4, suspect is down’.

After a few minutes another officer says: ‘The suspect is down, we’ve got multiple gunshot wounds, we’re going to need multiple ambulances on scene’

The dispatcher confirms that numerous ambulances are on the way.

An officer tells the dispatchers: ‘I need all traffic to pause unless emergency. Please dispatch as many ambulances as possible to this incident, we have upwards of 20 victims.’

The officer says: ‘Upwards of 20 victims, approximately 15 are deceased.’

The dispatcher says: ‘Notify emergency of major trauma, upwards of 15 deceased.’

Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin addresses the media following the deadly shooting, confirming the gunman's death

Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin addresses the media following the deadly shooting, confirming the gunman’s death

Friends and family are reunited with students

A woman is comforted as friends and family wait for students at the local fairgrounds

Bittersweet reunion: Friends and family cried and embraced after reuniting at the Douglas County Fairground

Emotions were running high following the shooting as family members awaited news 

Emotions were running high following the shooting as family members awaited news

People hold signs for free rides as friends and family wait for students at the local fairgrounds

People hold signs for free rides as friends and family wait for students at the local fairgrounds

The Umpqua Community College shooter appears to have targeted the science building because it is a large lecture hall and would have allowed him to cause mass casualties.

A Douglas County fire official told CNN when he arrived on the scene, they found ‘multiple patients in multiple classrooms.’

Students from UCC were eventually evacuated to the Douglas County Fairground for a debriefing.

President Barack Obama was briefed on the Oregon shooting rampage by homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco and will receive updates throughout the day, according to a White House official

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest addressed the shooting during Thursday’s daily briefing, saying Obama is committed to passing tougher gun control laws.

‘The issue of sensible steps that can be taken to protect our communities from gun violence continues to be a top priority of this administration,’ Earnest told reporters.

‘The president has been quite candid about how this is and has been a source of frustration for him.’

Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio, who represents Roseburg, said in a statement that his thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. He also expressed gratitude for the first responders.

DeFazio says once he knows more about what happened, he plans to work with his colleagues in Congress to find ways to prevent such tragedies.

The two-year college, located 180 miles south of Portland, has more than 4,000 students, more than half of them female. The average age of students enrolled in UCC is 38.

According to Everytown for Gun Safety, a pro-gun control group, the incident in Oregon is the 45th shooting at a school so far this year.

Counselors are being made available for UCC students, staff and their families, pictured here, if they were affected in any way by the disaster

Counselors are being made available for UCC students, staff and their families, pictured here, if they were affected in any way by the disaster

Chaotic: Police have been transporting students from the college campus to a safe location, and some were forced to play dead during the shooting

Chaotic: Police have been transporting students from the college campus to a safe location, and some were forced to play dead during the shooting

An overhead shot shows the UCC campus where the shooter appeared to start his rampage in the science block before going classroom to classroom

An overhead shot shows the UCC campus where the shooter appeared to start his rampage in the science block before going classroom to classroom

Remote: The rural college is located 180 miles south of Portland, Oregon, where the gunman lived with his mother

Remote: The rural college is located 180 miles south of Portland, Oregon, where the gunman lived with his mother

CARNAGE BY NUMBERS: A LOOK AT DEADLIEST COLLEGE SHOOTINGS IN US IN THE PAST 20 YEARS

June 5, 2014: A 19-year-old student is killed and two others are wounded in a shooting at Seattle Pacific University in Washington before another student tackles the gunman as he pauses to reload. A lawyer for Aaron Rey Ybarra, 26, who is charged with first-degree murder, has said mental illness was a factor.

May 23, 2014: A community college student, Elliot Rodger, 22, kills six people and injures 13 others in shooting and stabbing attacks in the area near the University of California, Santa Barbara, campus. Authorities said he apparently shot himself to death after a shootout with deputies.

June 7, 2013: Five people are killed and several others are wounded in Santa Monica, California, when John Zawahri, 23, shoots his father and brother and then shoots at strangers in cars and at Santa Monica College, where students were taking final exams. Zawahri is fatally shot by officers in the college library.

April 2, 2012: Seven people are killed and three are injured when a 43-year-old former student opens fire at Oikos University, in Oakland, California. One Goh was charged with seven counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder but psychiatric evaluations concluded he suffers from long-term paranoid schizophrenia and is unfit to stand trial.

Feb. 14, 2008: Five students are killed and 18 are wounded when former student Steven Kazmierczak, 27, opens fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, before committing suicide.

Feb. 8, 2008: Two people are killed when Latina Williams, 23, opens fire during an emergency medical technology class at Louisiana Technical College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before shooting herself.

April 16, 2007: Thirty-two people are fatally shot in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, before the gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, 23, kills himself.

Sept. 2, 2006: Douglas W. Pennington, 49, fatally shoots his two sons before killing himself during a visit to Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Oct. 28, 2002: Three professors are killed when Robert Flores Jr., 41, who was flunking out of the University of Arizona nursing school, shoots them before killing himself in Tucson, Arizona.

Jan. 16, 2002: Three people are killed and three are wounded when a recently dismissed graduate student at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia, returns to campus and targets the dean, a professor and a student. Peter Odighizuwa, 42, pleaded guilty in the attack and was sentenced to life in prison.

Aug. 15, 1996: Three professors are shot and killed when Frederick Martin Davidson, 36, a graduate engineering student at San Diego State University, is defending his thesis before a faculty committee and pulls out a handgun.

 

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