Military veteran who tried to stop Oregon gunman was shot 5 times

ROSEBURG (Oregon) — When the gunshots started at Umpqua Community College in southwestern Oregon, some people mistook them for falling books. But Army veteran Chris Mintz quickly recognised the threat.

“He was in the military and knew what it was,” said Mr Mintz’s aunt, Wanda Mintz.

Her 30-year-old nephew, a student at the college, told classmates to remain calm and went to the door as the shooter came across the hallway. He tried to stop the gunman from entering the classroom and was shot three times, his aunt said.

After Chris Mintz fell, he told the suspect: “It’s my son’s birthday today. Don’t do this,” she said. The gunman then shot him at least twice more and went into the classroom, where he kept firing. Nine people were killed before the gunman died in a shootout with police.

Ms Wanda Mintz said her nephew tried to crawl away but could not move because of his wounds. He was recuperating yesterday (Oct 2) at a hospital in Roseburg and was expected to survive.

“He’s lucky to be alive, and we’re grateful he’s alive,” his aunt told The Associated Press yesterday.

In an interview with ABC News, the younger Mintz said: “I just hope that everyone else is OK. I’m just worried about everyone else.”

A cousin who spoke with Mr Mintz on Thursday night said he ``wishes he could have saved more people.’’

“I’ve never seen him give up on anything,” said Mr Derek Bourgeois of Hope Mills, North Carolina.

Word of Mr Mintz’s actions spread quickly. A page set up by Mr Mintz’s family seeking donations on the fund-raising site GoFundMe received more than US$567,000 S$(812,450) as of early this morning.

Speaking by phone from her home in Randelman, North Carolina, Ms Wanda Mintz got a description of what happened from her nephew’s girlfriend. She said he went through seven hours of surgery.

“Chris is a tough guy,” she said.

He was hit in both legs, his stomach, his back and in the hand, but the bullets did not hit any of his vital organs. He has two rods in his legs and is going to be in a wheelchair for the foreseeable future, she said.

“It’s going to be a long, long recovery,” she said.

She said she spoke yesterday with her nephew, who said he was in a lot of pain.

Mr Chris Mintz was born and raised in Randelman, North Carolina, west of Raleigh. His son, Tyrik, turned 6 on Thursday, she said.

When he was in the military, Mr Mintz was stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, then moved about nine years ago to a base in the West. He never saw combat, his aunt said.

She said he’s an athlete and was studying body building and nutrition. He left the Army a few years ago and was a part-time student at Umpqua, she said.

Mr Mike Gwaltney, a swim coach at the YMCA where Mr Mintz worked, said he was not surprised to hear how he reacted.

“It’s something that Chris and many others are trained to do,” he said. “He’s a pretty tough cookie.”

Mr Gwaltney said he saw Mr Mintz at the hospital as he was coming out of surgery.

“For the most part,” Mr Gwaltney said, “he was in very good spirits.” AP