Roseburg, Oregon, Community Seeks Answers In Wake Of Shooting

ROSEBURG, Ore. -- Taylor Johns could hardly find the words to describe the horrific and deadly experience she had just been through.

The 19-year-old Umpqua Community College student teared up as she explained how she hid in her classroom, listening to the final shots ring out on campus -- likely the ones officers exchanged with suspected killer Chris Harper Mercer, ending his life.

“I didn’t hear anything until I heard them shoot him,” Johns said, as she held two candles at a vigil with hundreds of others mourners in this close-knit community Thursday night.

Her father, Kristoffer Johns, standing with his daughter at the vigil, said he raced to the school when he heard the news of the shooting at the school. Thirty agonizing minutes passed before he was able to contact his daughter by phone, he said.
Ten people were killed in the violence, and another nine were wounded, though
authorities have not yet confirmed whether the death toll includes the shooter.

Despite their fear, Taylor and her father were humble and proud, surrounded by their peers. The community college is much-loved in the area, evidenced by the number of people wearing their UCC sweatshirts to the vigil.

They huddled together, embracing one another and holding candles high above their heads or arranging them to spell out the school's letters on the ground. A man played "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes while people in the crowd sobbed. There was also anger, as one mourner cried out for “change,” as well as general disbelief that this could happen in their community. 

Also at the vigil was Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D), who arrived to make a short, heartfelt speech: “In our sorrow, we will remember and honor those lost today ... And they will forever be in our hearts. May peace be with you.”

As of Friday morning, many questions remained unanswered. 

Who are the victims? 

Most of the victims haven't been named, but one of them, Chris Mintz ,  has been identified as an Army veteran who reportedly charged the shooter before being shot. Ana Boylan, a student at UCC,  was hit near her spine but is expected to survive. Her parents spoke to CNN on Thursday,  retelling her account.

Who is the shooter?

Not much is known about the gunman-- even his connection to the school is unclear. According to neighbors, he was quiet and reserved , with no girlfriend and not many friends. Still, many of them expressed shock at the news. 

Perhaps no one was more shocked than Mercer's father, though. Ian Mercer spoke out late Thursday, telling reporters that he was "devastated."

Meanwhile, police have refused to confirm the shooter's identity.

"I will not name the shooter," Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin told reporters on Thursday. "I will not give him the credit he probably sought prior to this horrific and cowardly act." 

How will the community begin to heal?

It’s a question that may take some time to answer. There have been 45 shootings at schools in 2015 , each one leaving a devastated community in its wake to make sense of what had happened.

Thursday was chaotic and exhausting for residents of Roseburg. Media poured into the small town, following locals to a fairground near the school where they were searching for their friends and loved ones, knocking on doors surrounding Mercer’s apartment, staking out Mercy Medical Center and then tailing mourners to the vigil.

This article has been updated with revised casualty figures for Thursday's shooting.