Oregon shooter rants in writings about having no girlfriend

Chris Harper Mercer
Chris Harper Mercer

ROSEBURG, Ore. — The gunman who killed nine people at an Oregon community college before taking his own life ranted in writings 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 some 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 writings 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 writings recovered at the shooting scene were a couple of pages long.

Local pastor Randy Scroggins has said his 18-year-old daughter, who survived the shooting, told him the gunman gave an envelope to another student and instructed him to give it to police. The envelope contained a flash drive, Scroggins said.

Also Monday, some faculty, staff and students returned to the campus for the first time since the shooting, while President Barack Obama announced he will travel to Oregon this week to visit privately with victims' families.

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