It’s happened. Again. A shooting rampage, this one Thursday at Umpqua Community College in southern Oregon, several reports said. As many as 10 people were killed and 20 injured when a shooter opened fire at the college, according to Oregon State Police.
The shooter was downed, according to authorities, but his condition was not immediately clear.
Authorities initially used their social channels to alert the public about the shooting. For instance, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tweeted that it had special agents at the college and was sending additional agents, as well as a K-9 team, to the scene, according to USA Today.
Fire District No. 2 that serves Douglas County, where the shooting occurred, tweeted, "Active shooter at UCC. Please stay away from the area.”
At roughly 3:38 ET, Jonathan Helman, an MSNBC planning producer, tweeted: Douglas County sheriff's office spokesman said on @KGWNews there is "no longer a threat" on the Umpqua Community College campus.
At press time, the college’s website was not available, suggesting that the school’s administrators are working up a proper response to the catastrophe.
From a crisis communications standpoint, the next few days will be crucial. The university will need to thoroughly explain how the shooting occurred, what it’s doing to prevent something similar from happening again at the campus and how the community members can support each other at a time of immense tragedy.
The shooting at Umpqua Community College campus comes just a few months after mass shootings at a Navy Reserve Center in Chattanooga and a black Church in Charleston, South Carolina that left 13 people dead.
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