ROSEBURG, Ore. — The gunman who executed nine people at an Oregon community college before killing himself rambled in notes he left behind about not having a girlfriend and thinking everyone else was crazy, a law enforcement official said Monday.
The official also said the mother of 26-year-old gunman Christopher Harper-Mercer has told investigators he was struggling with mental health issues. The official is familiar with the investigation but wasn’t authorized to speak publicly because it is ongoing.
Harper-Mercer complained in the manifesto about not having a girlfriend, and he seemed to feel like he was very rational while others around him were not, the official said.
He wrote something to the effect of, ” ‘Other people think I’m crazy, but I’m not. I’m the sane one,’ ” the official said. The ramblings were a couple of pages long.
Also Monday, some faculty members, staff members and students returned to the campus for the first time since the shooting, and President Barack Obama announced he will travel to Oregon to visit privately with victims’ families.
Classes do not resume at Umpqua Community College until next week, but some students went to the campus to pick up belongings they left behind Thursday when they fled. Others met with professionals to discuss trauma and grief.
A memorial was growing on the driveway leading to Snyder Hall, where Harper-Mercer opened fire. Besides those who died, nine people were wounded. Harper-Mercer killed himself after a shootout with police.
At least one student injured in the shooting was among those who returned Monday, college President Rita Cavin said. She did not identify the student.
