College Student Who Survived Oregon Shooting Speaks Out For First Time

Matthew Downing, the college student who survived the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, OR, on October 1, has spoken out for the first time about his experience. A total of 10 were killed in the shooting and seven were injured. Downing was chosen by the shooter as the "lucky one" to survive and deliver a message to law enforcement officials. ABC reports that Downing issued a statement detailing what he saw and what the gunman said to him. Downing said that the gunman had a package with a flash drive in it that he wanted delivered to the police when they arrived on the scene. "He looked directly at me and said, 'Hey, kid with the glasses, you are the lucky one. I will not shoot you if you give this to the cops,'" said Downing. "I stood up and he pointed the gun at me and this is the moment I thought I was going to die. He paused for a second and then handed the envelope to me and said to sit in the very back seat and face him." Downing describes how the shooter then began shooting into the crowd of students, including two students who told him they identified as Christian and Catholic, a girl who picked up a desk to defend herself, and students who were lying defenseless on the classroom floor as ordered. "He was just firing on people who were just lying there," Downing added. When the police arrived and entered the room, Downing says the gunman began firing at them and ultimately turned the gun on himself, shooting himself in the head. Additionally, the family of Army veteran Chris Mintz, who tried to stop the shooter and sustained multiple gunshot wounds, has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his medical care.