By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
The tragedy of the deaths and wounding of students and faculty of Umpqua Community College was without doubt a terrible event. We first and foremost must center our prayers and attention towards the victims and their families who have endured suffering and pain that we hope to never experience ourselves.
But if anything can be praised it is the police, emergency crews, and community members who took upon the risks and the responsibility to protect the victims and provide at least a measure of comfort to the survivors and those who did not make it. One person in particular truly caught my attention and I am sure everyone else as well. He is Chris Mintz, who undoubtedly saved several lives but as a result became one of the shooting victims himself.
His actions are truly heroic as you may certainly agree.
Chris Mintz was attending class at Umpqua Community College when he heard shots ring out in an adjacent room. Instead of running for safety, the ten year military veteran went toward the scene, directing people away from the danger. He found and walked toward the shooter, trying to prevent him from entering another classroom by blocking the doorway. He attempted to calm the shooter by talking to him and trying to buy time and life for the other students. Mintz certainly knew the great risk of facing this armed attacker alone and it did not go well for him.
Chris was hit multiple times from gunfire and went down. As the gunman walked toward him, Chris told his assailant that today was his son’s birthday. Showing no mercy his assailant shot him again.
In all Chris was shot seven times trying to protect others. Authorities credit Chris with delaying the shooter and in doing so likely saved numerous lives. Though exact details of the events are still in flux with reporting information, it is clear Chris Mintz’ actions were heroic and lifesaving.
Police arrived six minutes after the active shooter dispatch went out. Every second in distraction of the shooter helped law enforcement arrive and be able to more quickly confront the gunman, who then committed suicide.
A hospital spokesperson stated that Chris suffered hits to his hands, arms, back, stomach and both legs were broken. Despite this he is expected to recover but he will need extensive rehabilitation.
I cannot stress how brave his actions were and how inspiring his story can be for many.
His cousin sponsored a GoFundMe petition to help defray the costs of his medical bills. Social media took hold and contributions from seventeen thousand donors rapidly poured in. Initially ten thousand dollars was requested in the fund drive, but in the first twenty two hours over half a million dollars poured in from grateful citizens. It is certainly enlightening.
I have to stress that Chris Metz was not the only victim and that others suffered as much or worse as lives were tragically lost. Other victims now have similar pages started but have not yet garnered such large donations. Those also deserve contributions as well. Since it is only the beginning of such things I will at a later time attempt to compile a list of other victims’ pages or sources where funds may be directed in their direction.
UPDATE:Officials announced the shooter committed suicide during the shout-out with police.
By Darren Smith
Sources:
CNN
Chris Mintz GoFundMe Page
Northwest Cable News
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
Annie,
And that Sheriff thinks he’s keeping people safe…
From a different Century…
“Sheriff charged with investigating Umpqua Community College shooting is a 9/11 and Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist.”
Good lord, this guy thought Sandy Hook was not real?
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2384280.1443905271!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/stasi4n-9-web.jpg
Stasi: State Department must list gun-loving NRA as terrorist organization
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/terrorists-nra-article-1.2384289
Brady Campaign Calls for Immediate Resignation of Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin
http://www.bradycampaign.org/press-room/brady-campaign-calls-for-immediate-resignation-of-douglas-county-sheriff-john-hanlin#
*Repetitious*
It appears that John Smith is one who can think for himself, no response to the repetious “advice” giver who rushes to make sure ‘newbies’ fall into line. I suspect John Smith is too intelligent to take the advice of the self appointed blog comments section hall monitor.
GM, Ford, Toyota, etc. need be held accountable for the millions of deaths by all those irresponsible people who drive drunk, text and talk while driving, etc. I know, it sounds stupid doesn’t it!!
Welcome john smith. You seem to be new here, but one can never tell. You seem astute enough to learn w/ whom you can have intelligent conversations and who to avoid. I have found the key to enjoying oneself on this particular blog is knowing the few folks that are negative attention seekers and never uttering their names, or responding to their incessant, vapid, questions. I said this on another thread. I used to be fairly la de da about the 2nd Amendment. Then I saw the agenda of liberals. Some of the countries w/ the highest murder rates are socialist countries w/ strict gun laws. Wikipedia has the UN list of murder rates by country. The US is way down the list @ 91. Based on some of the emotional, illogical, dissembling, comments and propaganda links here, you would think we are #1. LOL. Canada is real close to us @ 89.
Look, neither the average law abiding gun dealer nor Colt nor SW nor Sturm Ruger want nor intend to sell guns to people with murderous intent. That is a fallacy. Yes illegal dealers do, and they are the subject of LE attention. That comment should be aimed at the military industrial complex that has profited from 50 years of unjust wars, not the stuff we proles buy to keep ourselves defended from crime. That’s my interpretation.
If he really wanted to say something, he would have condemned the notion of religious liberty as heresy. It’s not Catholic.
Yes there is room for free will in evangelization and conversion. Yes the state should not compel conversion. However, that is as far as traditional Catholic teaching needs to go. There is no theological continuity between the faith of 1500 years of Catholics advocating a sacred basis for law, with the Enlightenment era heresy of indifferentism that underlies American notions of “religious liberty.”
The Pope is chicken to tell that to Congress too, and the Catholic politicians are chicken to understand it. That’s why I prefer De Maistre. I’m a reactionary I guess. Schedule me for an appointment with Madame La Guillotine.
John, ok one last comment,
He may have been rebuking the warmongers, but these words could be addressed to the gun obsessed Americans right here in this country.
” Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society?”
Conversion? No thanks. I just became a Presbyterian this past year. I was raised in Sarah Palin’s religion, fundamentalist Assemblies of God. Then as a young adult I was Lutheran for ten years, then I was semi agnostic. I love the Presbyterians, just like Goldy Locks and Three Bears describing the porrige, it’s not too hot, it’s not too cold, it’s just right. Nice chatting with you John.
Gee Annie, I thought he was rebuking the likes of John McCain for “arming the Syrian rebels” etc who are the ones really drenched in blood. Selling guns to law abiding Americans is not the problem, and the problem of not-selling guns to those with murderous intent, while it is indeed a legitimate concern, may not be worth the trouble it would take to accomplish. Especially given the facts already adduced by others that criminals will find a way to kill regardless, and gun control laws only disarm the lawful.
I don’t think that a guy who lives in Italy, which is notorious for gun violence itself in spite of its strict gun control laws, has much to say about this one specific legal issue either. Again he should stick to matters of theological competency and not get to happy with the broad brush strokes.
This Pope and JPII and even Benedict all lacked the ability to circumscribe their comments and limit themselves to matters of their own competencies. I don’t mean to suggest they can’t speak to matters beyond theology– of course they can, when those matters still involve morals such as economic justice issues like usury which fall clearly within Tradition. But they can get too far afield with the interviews and mass media stuff. The gestures can become confusing, too. If the Jews are called to conversion just like all of the peoples of the Earth, then why shine their apple at the Wailing wall? It’s considred by them a symbol of the evil Romans, but for us, since the time of St John Chrysostom, or maybe when Julian Apostate tried to rebuild it unsuccessfully, the destroyed Temple has been a symbol of the obsolescence of the Jewish faith.
The Pope has to deal with the powers that be, so he’s chicken to say that, and goes on over and stands by their wall. He ought to go stand by the wall that they use to oppress the Palestinians, and pray by that one! As an anonymous nobody, I guess I am more brave than him, from the shadows.
http://newtrajectory.blogspot.com/2015/09/pope-francis-on-gun-violence.html
From his speech to Congress
“Being at the service of dialogue and peace also means being truly determined to minimize and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts throughout our world. Here we have to ask ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.
Our leaders should take the words of Pope Francis to heart. The welfare of our people MUST be more important than the profits of gun manufacturers!”
I don’t think the Pope has the authority to abolish St Augustine’s teaching on just war. If war may be licit, then weapons can be too. So I reject that overly broad statement.
However he makes a point about militarism that I might agree with in respect of the dominance of the military industrial complex in American politics.
As for duplicity, I could own Lockheed Martin as an investor, or Philip morris, without much concern, if I am not a voting manager. That’s my opinion. As for duplicity, let the rest of the Church divest itself of its loans on which it is owed usurious compound interest, and then they can judge piddly little nobodies like me who may want to own a few shares of Colt or Sturm Ruger.
I have a lot of Presbys in the family. Many of us who share Scots Irish ancestry do. Presbyterians had a wonderful sense of community, but there experience in England as dissenters also lead them into errors of extreme individualism, which is a latent heresy in all Protestantism.
They also have a history of financism, due to the rejection of the taboo on usury.
Today, they are dying on the vine. Aborting themselves out of existence, or pining away after approval from the Other. The guilt is too strong, because the sacrament of Reconciliation is not available. You might consider conversion. Then you can learn to love the West again in its ancient glory.
JohnS. Here is the Pope on guns.
“Pope says weapons manufacturers can’t call themselves Christian
TURIN, Italy, June 21 (Reuters) – People who manufacture weapons or invest in weapons industries are hypocrites if they call themselves Christian, Pope Francis said on Sunday.
Francis issued his toughest condemnation to date of the weapons industry at a rally of thousands of young people at the end of the first day of his trip to the Italian city of Turin.
“If you trust only men you have lost,” he told the young people in a long, rambling talk about war, trust and politics after putting aside his prepared address.
“It makes me think of … people, managers, businessmen who call themselves Christian and they manufacture weapons. That leads to a bit a distrust, doesn’t it?” he said to applause.
He also criticised those who invest in weapons industries, saying “duplicity is the currency of today … they say one thing and do another.””