Chris Harper-Mercer: Oregon college shooter described himself as shy in online dating profile

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Published: 2:30pm, 2 Oct 2015Updated: 6:14pm, 2 Oct 2015

The man killed by police on Thursday after he fatally shot nine people at a community college in southern Oregon was a nervy 26-year-old who lived close to the campus and described himself as shy, according to neighbours, media and online reports.

A law enforcement source said multiple agencies had identified the shooter as Chris Harper-Mercer. Online directories list a man of that name as having lived in Torrance, California, before moving to Winchester, Oregon.

It was not possible to independently verify the name of the shooter, but on Thursday night law enforcement officers were out in force at the Winchester apartment building identified in databases as Harper-Mercer’s residence.

Two neighbours said they recognised online photos of Harper-Mercer as a man from the apartment building. A phone number listed for the address was busy.

The killer used four guns, including a type of assault rifle, in the classroom attack, CNN said. Seven people were also wounded at the Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, a timber town of about 20,000 people that adjoins Winchester.

Police investigators are seen at residential location believed to be the home of the gunman following a mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. Photo: Reuters

A photo posted on a MySpace profile belonging to someone named Chris Harper-Mercer, from Torrance, showed a young man with a shaved head, dark-rimmed glasses and a serious expression. He was holding a long-barrelled gun.

A neighbour next door to the Winchester building said on Thursday night he recognised online photos of Harper-Mercer as being his neighbour.

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