SHOOTERS LAST WORDS TO VICTIM: You're going to see God in one second

Shooter may have had mental health concerns.

The nation continues to mourn the mass shooting of nine students at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. Although the shooter's motive remains a mystery, religion may have been a factor in the killings.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Officials have identified the Umpqua shooter as 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer. Mercer became the 10th person to die on campus after he was killed in a shootout with the police. 

According to 911 calls, Mercer strode through the hallways of a humanities building, armed with three pistols and a rifle. He systematically shot victims, asking each if they believed in God. Those who answered yes were shot in the head. Those who did not were shot elsewhere on their bodies. 

The father of one victim said the shooter told his daughter, "Good, you're going to see God in one second." 

Mercer's body was protected by body armor and he carried a considerable quantity of ammunition, "enough ammunition for a prolonged gunfight," authorities told the media during a conference. 
Seven other people were wounded, with some in critical condition. 

Mercer is believed to have been born in England -although other sources say Los Angeles- in 1989. Harper moved to Los Angeles at a very young age and was described by friends as being quiet and shy, but warming up quickly, once he got to know people. Others described him less favorably, saying he was "odd" and a loner. 

He was possibly diagnosed with a learning disability or other mental issues and attended the Switzer Learning Center in Los Angeles, which specializes in helping students with mental disabilities. 

Mercer had accounts on MySpace and a dating site where he listed himself as "conservative" and "Republican." He also posted Irish Republican Army propaganda on his webpage and went by the name "Iron Cross 45" on one website. He described himself as mixed-race.

Chillingly, Mercer made a post ahead of his rampage that hinted at his troubling obsession:

"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."

The comment was posted on Aug 31, 2015 in response to the televised Vester Flanagan shooting. In that attack, Vester Flanagan, a disgruntled newscaster, ambushed two former co-workers during a live TV shoot.

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