No armed security at Umpqua Community College, says former president
ROSEBURG, Ore. -- The former president of an Oregon community college where a gunman opened fire, killing at least 10 people and wounding seven others, says the school has only one security officer on duty at a time, and that person isn't armed.
Joe Olson retired in June from his position as president of Umpqua Community College in Roseburg.
He says last year, one of the biggest debates on campus was whether the school should have armed security officers. He says the college had three training exercises with local law agencies in the past two years, "but you can never be prepared for something like this."
"I suspect this is going to start a discussion across the country about how community colleges prepare themselves for events like this," he said.
Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said at a news conference Thursday afternoon that officers from around the county immediately responded to the college and upon arriving there, located the shooter in one of the buildings on campus.
Hanlin said officers engaged the suspect and there was an exchange of gunfire which resulted in the shooter being "neutralized." It's not been announced yet whether he killed himself or was killed by deputies.
The rural town of Roseburg, about 180 miles south of Portland, lies west of the Cascade Mountains in an area where the timber industry has struggled. In recent years, officials have tried to promote the region as a tourist destination for vineyards and outdoor activities.