10-04-2015, 11:13 AM
The Investigation and Shooter's Manner of Death -- Umpqua College Shooting
The shooter was not killed by police. He exchanged gunfire with officers while running off and then shot himself to death, the state medical examiner confirmed yesterday.
![[Image: 2015-10-02T02-21-37-9Z--1280x720.video_370x246.jpg]](http://media1.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/__NEW/2015-10-02T02-21-37-9Z--1280x720.video_370x246.jpg)
Douglas County Sheriff Hanlin ^ previously indicated that the shooter was shot and killed by police officers. He still refuses to say Mercer's name publicly and says his department's focus is on the victims and families.
I understand the Sheriff's positions. And Douglas County is a very conservative speck in an otherwise very liberal state; his strong conservative views probably reflect the views of the people who elected him.
However, I personally think less of Hanlin for having gone straight into hyper defensive "they're gonna take all our guns!" mode right after 26 school children and teachers were murdered at the Sandy Hook school. Hanlin wrote a letter to VP Biden warning that he and a group of ultra-conservative law enforcement officers wouldn't follow any new gun control laws or anything that interfered with his interpretation of the second amendment.
He also pondered and posted one of those batshit "truther" videos (which claims that Sandy Hook was a hoax / conspiracy by the feds in order to disarm the public).
I sure hope Sheriff Hanlin truly has more respect for the massacre victims in his own jurisdiction than he did for the Sandy Hook massacre victims and their families; they deserve a rational and professional investigation.
Ref: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/03/us/ore....html?_r=0
The shooter was not killed by police. He exchanged gunfire with officers while running off and then shot himself to death, the state medical examiner confirmed yesterday.
Douglas County Sheriff Hanlin ^ previously indicated that the shooter was shot and killed by police officers. He still refuses to say Mercer's name publicly and says his department's focus is on the victims and families.
I understand the Sheriff's positions. And Douglas County is a very conservative speck in an otherwise very liberal state; his strong conservative views probably reflect the views of the people who elected him.
However, I personally think less of Hanlin for having gone straight into hyper defensive "they're gonna take all our guns!" mode right after 26 school children and teachers were murdered at the Sandy Hook school. Hanlin wrote a letter to VP Biden warning that he and a group of ultra-conservative law enforcement officers wouldn't follow any new gun control laws or anything that interfered with his interpretation of the second amendment.
He also pondered and posted one of those batshit "truther" videos (which claims that Sandy Hook was a hoax / conspiracy by the feds in order to disarm the public).
I sure hope Sheriff Hanlin truly has more respect for the massacre victims in his own jurisdiction than he did for the Sandy Hook massacre victims and their families; they deserve a rational and professional investigation.
Ref: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/03/us/ore....html?_r=0