Thirteen weapons have been recovered from the gunman behind the mass shooting at a USA community college, and all were purchased legally, officials said on Friday.
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Authorities confiscated 13 weapons associated with the shooter, six at the sight of the killings and seven at his apartment, Celinez Nunez, assistant agent in charge at Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told reporters Friday.
On Thursday, the 26-year-old shooter walked into a morning writing class at the community college located 180 miles south of Portland and opened fire, hitting a few students with multiple gunshots.
She says investigators also found a flak jacket next to a rifle at the school, which contained steel plates.
The shooter did at one point own an additional weapon, Nunez explained, but it was traded back to a gun store for one of the firearms the shooter used at the school.
Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin declined to name the gunman, saying, “Again, you will not hear anyone from this law enforcement operation use his name”.
Mercer isn’t believed to have a criminal history. Investigators have suggested that he may have been a student at the college because a receipt found at the scene showed he purchased textbooks from the campus bookstore two days before the shooting. But by December 11, 2008, he was discharged for failing to meet the minimum administrative standards.
It is unknown how numerous 13 guns were purchased by Mercer.
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“This is a conversation we will have but today is not the day”, Brown said. The sheriff’s office is also releasing the shooter’s connection to the school.
