ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) — The gunman who opened fire in an Oregon college shot one classmate after saying he could save her life by begging, and others were killed after being told to crawl across the floor, according to relatives of students in the classroom. 
 
 This undated photo provided by Bonnie Schaan shows her daughter, Cheyeanne Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald had her kidney removed after being shot during a fatal shooting at Umpqua Community College on Thursday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Melody Siewell places flowers at a makeshift memorial near the road leading to Umpqua Community College, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore. Armed with multiple guns, Chris Harper Mercer walked... (Associated Press) 
 
 CORRECTS SPELLING OF CHEYEANNE - Bonnie Schaan, second from left, discuss her daughter, Cheyeanne Fitzgerald, who was wounded in the shooting at Umpqua Community College, during a news conference outside... (Associated Press) 
 
 A timeline of law enforcement response to the Umpqua Community College shooting is posted for the media at a news conference, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore. Armed with multiple guns, Chris... (Associated Press) 
 
 Bonnie Schaan leaves a news conference outside Mercy Medical Center, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore., after talking to reporters about her 16-year-old daughter Cheyanne Fitzgerald. Cheyanne... (Associated Press) 
 
 Randy Scroggins, a pastor at New Beginnings Church of God, cries as he talks about is daughter Lacey Scroggins on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore. Scroggins says his daughter Lacey was wounded... (Associated Press) 
 
 This undated photo from a MySpace page that appeared to belong to Chris Harper Mercer shows him holding a rifle. Authorities identified Mercer as the gunman who went on a deadly shooting rampage at Umpqua... (Associated Press) 
 
 Signs calling for prayers and remembrance for those killed in a fatal shooting at Umpqua Community College, are seen on a pair of local businesses, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore. Armed with... (Associated Press) 
 
 Randy Scroggins, a pastor at New Beginnings Church of God, cries in his church Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore. Scroggins had just spoke on the phone with the mother of a man who was shot and... (Associated Press) 
 
 Vanessa Becker, chairwoman of the Umpqua Community College Board of Trustees, speaks during a news conference, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore., where she announced that classes would not resume... (Associated Press) 
 
 CORRECTS SPELLING OF CHEYEANNE - Bonnie Schaan attends a news conference about her 16-year-old daughter Cheyeanne Fitzgerald outside Mercy Medical Center, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore. Cheyeanne... (Associated Press) 
 
 A sign in remembrance for those killed in a fatal shooting at Umpqua Community College, is displayed at a local business, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore. Armed with multiple guns, Chris Harper... (Associated Press) 
 
 Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin speaks during a news conference, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore. Hanlin said that Christopher Harper-Mercer, the gunman that killed nine at Umpqua Community... (Associated Press) 
 
 Vincent Attanasio holds up a sign while performing with the Roseburg High School band Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore. The band was collecting donations for for families of the victims of the... (Associated Press) 
 
 Charley Thompson, left, and his wife Rachel Thompson place flowers at a makeshift memorial near the road leading to Umpqua Community College, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore. Armed with multiple... (Associated Press) 
 
 Vincent Attanasio holds up a sign while performing with the Roseburg High School band Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Roseburg, Ore. The band was collecting donations for for families of the victims of the... (Associated Press) 
 
 However, Christopher Sean Harper-Mercer spared a student and gave the "lucky one" something to deliver to authorities, according to the mother of a student who witnessed Thursday's rampage. 
 
 Authorities have not disclosed whether they have an envelope or package from Harper-Mercer, who Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said Saturday killed himself as officers arrived. But a law enforcement official said a manifesto of several pages had been recovered. 
 
 Bonnie Schaan, the mother of 16-year-old Cheyeanne Fitzgerald, said she was told by her 16-year-old daughter that the gunman gave someone an envelope and told him to go to a corner of the classroom. 
 
 Harper-Mercer said the person "'was going to be the lucky one,'" Schaan told reporters outside a hospital where her daughter's kidney was removed after she was shot. 
 
 Relatives of other survivors of the shooting that killed nine also said Harper-Mercer gave something to a student in the class. 
 
 Pastor Randy Scroggins, whose 18-year-old daughter Lacey escaped without physical injuries, said she told him that the gunman called to a student, saying: "'Don't worry, you're the one who is going to survive.'" 
 
 Harper-Mercer then told the student that inside the shooter's backpack was "all the information that you'll need, give it to the police," Scroggins said, citing the account by his daughter. 
 
 Scroggins also said his daughter heard the gunman tell one victim he would spare that person's life if the student begged, then shot the begging victim anyway. 
 
 Lacey Scroggins also spoke about students being ordered to crawl to the middle of the room before being shot. Scroggins said his daughter survived because she was lying on the floor and partially covered by the body and blood of a fellow student. The gunman thought Lacey Scroggins was dead as well, stepped over her and shot someone else. 
 
 Randy Scroggins received a phone call from that student's mother while speaking with The Associated Press. 
 
 "He saved my girl. I will forever call your son my hero," he said of 20-year-old Treven Anspach. He told the man's mother he would mention her son during his Sunday church service and ask for prayers. "I'm so sorry for your loss." 
 
 Janet Willis said her granddaughter Anastasia Boylan was wounded in the Thursday attack and pretended to be dead as Harper-Mercer kept firing, killing eight students and a teacher. 
 
 Willis said she visited her 18-year-old granddaughter in a hospital in Eugene, where the sobbing Boylan told her: "'Grandma, he killed my teacher!'" 
 
 Boylan also said the shooter told one student in the writing class to stand in a corner, handed him a package and told him to deliver it to authorities, Willis said. 
 
 The law enforcement official who disclosed the existence of the manifesto did not reveal its contents but described it as an effort to leave a message for law enforcement. 
 
 The official is familiar with the investigation but was not authorized to disclose information and spoke on the condition of anonymity. 
 
 The official said the document was left at the scene of the shooting but wouldn't specify how authorities obtained it. 
 
 Boylan, a freshman at Umpqua Community College, also told her grandmother the gunman asked students about their faith. 
 
 "If they said they were Christian, he shot them in the head," Willis said, citing the account given by her granddaughter. 
 
 However, conflicting reports emerged about Harper-Mercer's words as he shot his victims. 
 
 Stephanie Salas, the mother of Rand McGowan, another student who survived, said she was told by her son that the shooter asked victims whether they were religious but did not specifically target Christians. 
 
 Salas said it was like telling the victims "you're going to be meeting your maker." 
 
 Salas said the gunman told victims "'this won't hurt very long'" before shooting them. 
 
 Law enforcement officials have not given details about what happened in the classroom. However they released a timeline that shows police arrived at the scene six minutes after the first 911 call and exchanged gunfire with the shooter two minutes later. 
 
 Harper-Mercer was enrolled in the class, but officials have not disclosed a possible motive for the killings. In a statement released by authorities, his family said they were "shocked and deeply saddened" by the slayings. 
 
 The dead ranged in age from 18 to 67 in the attack in Roseburg, a rural timber town about 180 miles south of Portland. 
 
 Harper-Mercer wore a flak jacket and brought at least six guns and five ammunition magazines when he went to the campus that morning. 
 
 Oregon's top federal prosecutor said the shooter used a handgun when he opened fire. 
 
 Several years ago, Harper-Mercer moved to Oregon from Torrance, California, with his mother Laurel Harper. 
 
 Harper-Mercer's social media profiles suggested he was fascinated by the Irish Republican Army and frustrated by traditional organized religion. 
 
 Scroggins said he was grateful his daughter survived Harper-Mercer's attack. 
 
 "There's been a lot of emotion," he said. "But others don't get their children back." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Contributing to this report are Associated Press writers Jonathan J. Cooper and Rachel La Corte in Portland; and Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Survivors have been telling their stories of the horrific events 
 
 The gunman who killed nine people in a shooting rampage at a college in the US state Oregon then killed himself as police arrived, officials have said. 
 
 At a news conference in Roseburg, they revealed that Chris Harper Mercer, 26, was enrolled in the class where the shooting took place. 
 
 They said that 14 weapons were later found at his home and the college. 
 
 Police earlier released the names of the victims, who ranged in age from 18 to 67. The oldest was a teacher. 
 
 President Barack Obama on Friday expressed his anger at gun violence, calling on the public to press their politicians to support reform. 
 
 'Gasping for air' 
 
 "The medical examiner has determined the cause of death of the shooter to be suicide," Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin told reporters on Saturday. 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mourners held a vigil for victims 
 
 He said that investigators were checking numerous leads and had already interviewed hundreds of people in the area. 
 
 At the scene: Vanessa Barford, BBC News, Roseburg, Oregon 
 
 As the residents of Roseburg come to terms with the shooting spree that sent shock waves through their tight-knit community on Thursday, many are trying to do something to show their support for the victims. 
 
 Bree Larson, 19, spent 12 hours making 100 T-shirts with the simple slogan "pray for Roseburg" on Friday. "I go to the college, so wanted to help the students. We've had 300 orders, so hopefully we will raise some money," she said. 
 
 Shop cashier Latysha Nash, 23, made ribbons for her colleagues in the school colour - green. "My cousin Rebecca died. My family friend Quinn Cooper was killed. My dad is a student at UCC. Everyone is hurting so much, I had to do something. I've put green porch lights up too," she said. 
 
 Up the road in a cafe, two 30-year-old friends are planning on baking food when the college reopens. "I think everyone is going to be scared going back to campus. It's not much, but it's something," one said. 
 
 No-one can make any sense of the tragedy that has brought such heartbreak to their small community, but everyone seems determined to help each other survive it. 
 
 On Thursday, Mercer - dressed in a flak jacket - brought six guns to Umpqua Community College in Roseburg and opened fire. 
 
 The attacker killed eight students and a teacher. 
 
 He then killed himself after a gun battle with police officers who arrived at the college. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Sharon Kirkham: "He shot my best friend three times" 
 
 The gunman also reportedly left a "manifesto" - a typed statement that was several pages long. Officials did not reveal the content of the note. 
 
 Mercer's relatives on Saturday released a statement, saying they were "shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific events". 
 
 "Our thoughts, our hearts and our prayers go out to all of the families of those who died and were injured," the statement said. 
 
 When asked about his son's mental health, his father Ian Mercer told CNN on Saturday that he "has to have some kind of issue". 
 
 It is unclear why Chris Harper Mercer carried out the killings. Two victims have said religion was an issue - the gunman asked his victims to state their religion and shot dead the Christians. 
 
 He enlisted in the army in 2008, but was discharged after less than a month in basic training, for reasons unknown. 
 
 Meanwhile, survivors have been telling their stories of the horrific events on Thursday. 
 
 Medicine student Sharon Kirkham told the BBC her friend Kim died in her arms after being shot three times. 
 
 "I heard her gasping for air, but I couldn't save her," she said. 
 
 Oregon college shooting - in depth 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption How common are school shootings in the US? 
 
 Should media name mass killers? - the copycat killing phenomenon 
 
 Army vet 'hero' in Oregon shooting - the man that tried to stop the attack 
 
 US gun violence in numbers - shootings have become increasingly commonplace. 
 
 What we know about Chris Harper Mercer - the alleged gunman reportedly supported the IRA. 
 
 Oregon shooting: The '4chan' thread - did the gunman give a warning on the internet? ||||| Roseburg, Oregon (CNN) The man who gunned down nine people at an Oregon community college was enrolled in the class where the fatal shootings occurred, Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said Friday. 
 
 At an earlier news conference, Hanlin identified the nine dead, who range in age from 18 to 67: 
 
 -- Lucero Alcaraz, 19 
 
 -- Treven Taylor Anspach, 20 
 
 -- Rebecka Ann Carnes, 18 
 
 -- Quinn Glen Cooper, 18 
 
 -- Kim Saltmarsh Dietz, 59 
 
 -- Lucas Eibel, 18 
 
 -- Jason Dale Johnson, 34 
 
 -- Lawrence Levine, 67 (teacher) 
 
 -- Sarena Dawn Moore, 44 
 
 Hanlin was asked whether the shooter was a student at Umpqua Community College. He didn't have the information at the time, but later updated a web page with confirmation Chris Harper-Mercer was enrolled there. 
 
 Rita Cavin, interim president of the school, told CNN that Harper-Mercer, 26, was enrolled in English and theater classes. The gunman initially opened fire in an English class, she said. 
 
 13 firearms found 
 
 Investigators found 13 firearms connected to shooter, Celinez Nunez of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said. 
 
 Five pistols and one rifle were found at the college, where the shooter died Thursday after a gunbattle with police, Nunez told reporters. 
 
 Police searched his apartment and found two pistols, four rifles and a shotgun, she said. 
 
 All the guns were legally obtained by the shooter or family members over the last three years through a federally licensed firearms dealer, she said. A flak jacket was found next to a rifle at the school with five magazines of ammunition, Nunez said, and additional ammunition was found at the residence. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Student's dad: Gunman asked if victims were Christian Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Student's dad: Gunman asked if victims were Christian 01:57 
 
 Authorities are not providing a motive for America's latest mass killing, which left nine people wounded. The gunman went to the college in rural south Oregon heavily armed and wearing body armor, authorities said. 
 
 Two of the people killed were members of the local EMS and fire department "family," Douglas County Fire District No. 2 Chief Greg Marlar said. 
 
 Sen. Jeff Merkley said one of his cousins was killed at the school. "This is a small town and everyone is affected," he said. 
 
 Stacy Boylan, the father of Anastasia Boylan, who was wounded, said she told him the gunman singled out Christians. 
 
 She said the gunman entered her classroom firing, told the professor teaching the class, "I've been waiting to do this for years," and shot him point blank, Stacy Boylan said. 
 
 While reloading his handgun, the man ordered the students to stand up and asked whether they were Christians, Boylan told her family. 
 
 "And they would stand up, and he said, 'Good, because you're a Christian, you're going to see God in just about one second,' " Stacy Boylan told CNN, relaying his daughter's account. "And then he shot and killed them." 
 
 Anastasia Boylan 18yo, shot in #OregonShooting. She says gunman reloaded, asking students to stand b4 shooting them. pic.twitter.com/QGOOgTzszm — Kyung Lah (@KyungLahCNN) October 2, 2015 
 
 Anastasia Boylan, 18, was hit in the back by a bullet that traveled down her spine. While she lay bleeding on the floor, the gunman called out to her, "Hey you, blond woman," her mother said. She played dead -- and survived. 
 
 Another intriguing element in the investigation: The shooter is reported to have delivered "a box" to someone during the shooting. 
 
 Stacy Boylan said his daughter told him the man "gave somebody a box, somebody who lived, and said, 'You gotta deliver this.' Somebody has a box. I don't know what that's about." 
 
 Law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation told CNN that the gunman handed his writings to a survivor, telling that person to give it to police, but the sources could not confirm the writings were inside the box. 
 
 Investigators said the writing portrayed the shooter as a student of past mass shootings. The gunman identified with the perpetrators of those rampages, the sources said, including Elliot Rodger, who killed six people in Santa Barbara, California, in 2014. The Oregon shooter expressed frustration that other mass killers did not take on police and vowed he would kill police along with others, law enforcement officials said. 
 
 The gunman 
 
 Speaking on CNN's "New Day," Sheriff Hanlin said he had not heard anything about the gunman asking victims about their religion. 
 
 Hanlin reiterated that he will not officially speak the name of gunman. 
 
 "I don't want to glorify the shooter, I don't want to glorify his name, I don't want to glorify his cause," Hanlin said 
 
 The motive 
 
 "He was a little odd, like sensitive to things," said Rebecca Miles, who took a theater class with Harper-Mercer. 
 
 Investigators talked to the gunman's family and neighbors to try to piece together the puzzle. 
 
 "Obviously it's been a devastating day," Harper-Mercer's father, Ian, told reporters outside his house in Tarzana, California. "Devastating for me and my family." 
 
 The shooter served in the Army from 2008 from November 5 to December 11 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, but was "discharged for failing to meet the minimum administrative standards," the Pentagon said in a news release. A military official said Harper-Mercer never made it out of basic training. 
 
 He attended El Camino College in Torrance, California, from 2010 to 2012, according to a college spokesman. 
 
 Steven Fisher, who lived near Harper-Mercer, described him as "skittish." 
 
 "His demeanor, the way he moved, always looking around," Fisher said. "I got a bad vibe from him." 
 
 Crime scene tape at apartment complex near Roseburg. #FBI & sheriff deputies here searching apartment #UCCshooting pic.twitter.com/mApMP16UIh — Sara Sidner (@sarasidnerCNN) October 2, 2015 
 
 The blog posts 
 
 One avenue that investigators were pursuing are blog posts by someone with an email address associated with Harper-Mercer. 
 
 The writings include ramblings about his racial animus toward black people and general feelings of anger about being isolated and unable to make relationships, law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told CNN. 
 
 Two officials said that after the shooting, the gunman's family told investigators that he suffered from mental health issues and had sought treatment. 
 
 The writings also reflect an apparent fascination with the Irish Republican Army, one law enforcement official said. A MySpace page believed to belong to the gunman, which included photos of him, included photos of IRA posters. 
 
 But investigators so far have found no indication he was linked with any organized groups. 
 
 The posts were left under the user name "lithium_love." Two of them were specifically about recent shootings: one about Vester Flanagan , who killed two local news reporters in Virginia, and one about the officer slain near Houston in August. 
 
 Speaking of Flanagan on August 31, the blog post reads: "I have noticed that so many people like him are all alone and unknown, yet when they spill a little blood, the whole world knows who they are. A man who was known by no one, is now known by everyone. His face splashed across every screen, his name across the lips of every person on the planet, all in the course of one day. Seems the more people you kill, the more you're in the limelight." 
 
 The injured 
 
 Initially, 10 wounded people were taken to Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg, but one died in an emergency room, hospital spokeswoman Kathleen Nickel said Friday. 
 
 All those people had gunshot wounds to the head, abdomen and limbs, Dr. Jason Gray, the hospital's chief medical officer, said Friday morning at a news conference. 
 
 Three people with gunshot wounds to the head were transferred to PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Springfield, he said. One of those patients is in critical condition and two are in serious condition, Nickel said. CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta said those three patients were women between the ages of 18 and 34. 
 
 Four patients underwent surgery at Mercy Medical, Gray said. One is in critical condition and two are in fair to good condition, he said. One surgery patient was discharged, he said. 
 
 On Thursday, two wounded people were treated in the emergency room and released, he said. 
 
 'Pretty much in panic mode' 
 
 The shooting appears to have started in one building, before the gunman moved to another building. It's unclear whether the gunman was shot by police or committed suicide. 
 
 Student Cassandra Welding said that when the shots rang out, the students in her class dropped to the ground -- huddling behind backpacks and chairs, or underneath tables. 
 
 "We locked the doors, turned off the lights, and we were all pretty much in panic mode," she said. 
 
 "We called 911 and called our parents, our loved ones. ... We didn't know what was going to happen, if those were our last words or not." 
 
 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college Community members attend a candlelight vigil at Stewart Park for those killed during a shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, on Thursday, October 1. The massacre left nine people dead and nine wounded. The gunman also died. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college In response to the shooting on October 1, President Barack Obama delivers the 15th statement of his presidency addressing gun violence. "Somehow this has become routine," he said. "The reporting is routine. My response here at this podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it. We've become numb to this." Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college Students and faculty are reunited with friends and family at the county fairgrounds on October 1. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college People wait for information at the fairgrounds on October 1. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college Hannah Miles, center, is reunited with her sister Hailey and father, Gary, on October 1. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college A student waits to walk off a school bus at the fairgrounds on October 1. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college Friends and family are reunited on October 1. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college A woman is comforted after the deadly shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, on October 1. Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin announced at a news conference that the shooter was dead. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college Authorities secure the campus after the shooting on October 1. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college Students, staff and faculty leave the school on October 1. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college A bullet casing is marked at the scene of the shooting on October 1. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college People gather at a roadblock near the entrance to the college on October 1. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college Authorities respond after reports of the shooting on October 1. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college Police search students outside the school on October 1. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: Shooting at Oregon community college A patient is wheeled into the emergency room at Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg on October 1. Hide Caption 15 of 15 
 
 Roseburg has about 22,000 residents, and Umpqua isn't a traditional college. The average age of its 13,600 students was 38 during the 2013-2014 school year. 
 
 No more speakers tonight. Chants of "I am UCC" have broken out after this filming. #UCCShooting pic.twitter.com/p3PIfv9L2A — Troy Brynelson (@TroyWB) October 2, 2015
– Details are emerging on the grisly mass murder at an Oregon college—including reports that the shooter gave one "lucky" student a message for authorities before killing nine people and taking his own life, reports the AP. Gunman Christopher Harper-Mercer handed over an envelope and said that student "'was going to be the lucky one,'" according to the mother of a student who was shot and wounded in the spree. A pastor whose 18-year-old daughter wasn't injured told a similar story, with the gunman saying, "'Don't worry, you're the one who is going to survive,'" while the grandmother of a survivor said the "lucky" student was told to stand in a corner with the package. Authorities haven't confirmed, but one law enforcement source says a pages-long manifesto has been found. The pastor, Randy Scroggins, relayed other stories from his daughter—about how Harper-Mercer told one student to beg for her life but shot her anyway, and shot other students after telling them to crawl along the floor. Scroggins says his daughter only survived because another student's blood and body was lying on top of her. "He saved my girl," he said after talking to that student's mother. "I will forever call your son my hero." Other reports have Harper-Mercer targeting students in the writing class for being either Christian or religious. Meanwhile, the gunman's family released a statement saying they were "shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific events," Time reports, and the father said a change in gun laws could prevent future tragedies, the New York Times reports.