Chris Mintz(Photo: Mintz Family)
An army veteran is recovering in the hospital after standing up to a gunman who killed 10 people at
a community college<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in Oregon on Thursday.
Chris Mintz, 30, was shot seven<span style="color: Red;">*</span>times after he jumped into action to save the lives of people in his classroom, his family members<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
told WFMY-TV.
Mintz heard gunshots in the classroom next to his<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and instead of running, walked towards the gunman, according to Chris' cousin,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Ariana Earnhardt.
“He told the people in his classroom just be calm. He met the shooter at the door and said to calm down. He tried to talk to him and talk him out of it,” Earnhardt<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
told WFMY-TV.
Earnhardt said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Mintz was in the military for 10 years, and moved to Oregon from North Carolina<span style="color: Red;">*</span>to be close to his son. The 30-year-old<span style="color: Red;">*</span>tried to keep the gunman from getting into the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>classroom and was shot three times, his aunt, Wanda Mintz,
told KCPQ-TV.
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"[He] hit<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the floor, looks up at gunman, and says, 'It's my son's birthday today.' [And he]<span style="color: Red;">*</span>gets shot two more times,” Wanda told KCPQ.
He was apparently shot two more times at some point, and is being treated for seven gunshot wounds, family members told WFMY.
Ten<span style="color: Red;">*</span>were killed and seven people<span style="color: Red;">*</span>were injured in
the shooting at the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Umpqua Community College. It was the fourth shooting on a U.S. college campus since August.
Authorities say the male shooter<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>who they have refused to name publicly in an effort to avoid giving him further notoriety —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was killed in a shootout with police shortly around<span style="color: Red;">*</span>10:30 a.m. Pacific time on Thursday.
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"Let me be very clear: I will not name the shooter," Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said at an evening press conference. "Focus your attention on the victims and their families and helping them recover."
Federal law enforcement sources nevertheless identified the shooter as<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Chris Mercer, who lived in the area.
Two of the 10 people initially admitted to <span style="color: Red;">*</span>Mercy Medical Center<span style="color: Red;">*</span>after the shooting<span style="color: Red;">*</span>will remain, one in critical condition and one in stable condition,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Dr. Jason Gray, chief medical officer, told reporters Friday. They were among four who underwent operations from gunshot wounds. One of the four has been released, and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>another was expected to leave the hospital Friday.
Mintz broke both of his legs during the incident<span style="color: Red;">*</span>but is expected to recover, Earnhardt told KCPQ.
“He's going to have to learn to walk again<span style="color: Red;">*</span>but he walked away with his life, and that's more than so many other people did,” Earnhardt told the station.
Gallery: Deadly rampage at community college
Contributing: Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY Network, and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>WFMY-TV<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
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