patrick.net

Oregon gunman may have killed more if not for hero student

The gunman who went on a deadly rampage at an Oregon college was heavily armed and equipped with extra ammunition, authorities said on Friday, and he might have killed more people were it not for the heroism of a military veteran in an adjoining classroom.

As the gunman moved toward an adjoining classroom, Chris Mintz, 30, a U.S. Army combat veteran who served in Iraq, tried to stop him, Jamie Skinner, the mother of Mintz's 6-year-old son told Reuters. The gunman opened fire, striking Mintz.

"When Chris hit the ground, he told him it was our son’s birthday yesterday. He took a couple more rounds after that," Skinner said, adding that the gunman then changed direction and entered a different room.

“The assailant was not able to make it into the classroom, because Chris stopped him,” she said, noting that Mintz was hospitalized with two broken legs and seven bullet wounds.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/02/us-usa-shooting-oregon-idUSKCN0RV5EP20151002