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Oregon shooting: Gunman killed himself | |
(35 minutes later) | |
The gunman who killed nine people in a shooting rampage at a college in the US state Oregon then killed himself as police arrived, officials have said. | |
At a news conference in Roseburg, they revealed that Chris Harper Mercer, 26, was enrolled in the class where the shooting took place. | |
They also said that 14 weapons were later found at his home. | |
Police earlier released the names of the victims, who ranged in age from 18 to 67. The oldest was a teacher. | |
President Barack Obama on Friday expressed his anger at gun violence, calling on the public to press their politicians to support reform. | |
'Gasping for air' | |
"The medical examiner has determined the cause of death of the shooter to be suicide," Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin told reporters on Saturday. | |
He said that investigators were checking numerous leads and had already interviewed hundreds of people in the area. | |
On Thursday, Mercer - dressed in a flak jacket - brought six guns to Umpqua Community College in Roseburg and opened fire. | |
The attacker killed eight students and a teacher. | |
He then killed himself after a gun battle with police officers who arrived at the college. | |
Mercer enlisted in the army in 2008, but was discharged after less than a month in basic training, for reasons unknown. | |
It is unclear why he carried out the killings. Two victims have said religion was an issue - the gunman asked his victims to state their religion and shot dead the Christians. | |
His father, Ian Mercer, said he was "just as shocked as everybody" by his son's actions. | |
Survivors have been telling their stories. | |
Medicine student Sharon Kirkham told the BBC her friend Kim died in her arms after being shot three times. | |
"I heard her gasping for air, but I couldn't save her," she said. |