Chris Mintz.

That is the name of the student at Umpqua Community College who was shot five times in his attempt to save others from a gunman who went on a shooting rampage on the school’s campus.  During the aftermath of the horrific shooting at the College, participants on social media have called for the widespread recognition of Mintz while stressing the importance of not popularizing the shooter.

The shooter has been identified as 26-year-old Christopher Harper Mercer, and the father of one of the victims said that during the shooting, Mercer intentionally targeted Christians.  While it is unclear why he targeted the college specifically, it was reported that he went into at least two different classrooms.

A total of ten people were killed during the incident, with seven others reported as injured. The father of one of the victims stated that the gunman went into the classroom, and said (to the professor) “I’ve been waiting to do this for years” and then shot the professor point blank.  Other reports say that he ordered “Christians” to stand up and then would shoot them when they emerged.

The gunman was reported dead earlier Thursday.

Chris Mintz is a 30-year-old military veteran and student of Umpqua Community College.  According to claims, he attempted to block the door to prevent the gunman from coming into the classroom, and was shot three times.  He then looked up at the gunman and stated “It’s my son’s birthday today”, to which he was shot at least two more times.  While it is still unknown exactly how many times he was shot, it is reported that both of his legs are broken.  He remains in stable condition at Mercy Medical Center.

President Barack Obama released a statement after the incident in which he indirectly pushed for stricter gun control laws, stating, “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.”

This incident is just one of the many that continue to seem more and more common in the United States.

In situations like this, it is important to publicize not the gunman, but the heroes like Chris Mintz.

*Quotes recorded from CNN.com*

By Walker Snowden

OSWEGO, N.Y.– For the cross country team this past weekend was one of the most important of the entire season. The team’s championship meet was held in Houghton NY.
Oswego Women’s Cross country team member Morgan Bronner said that she has enjoyed her last season with her teammates.

“The goal is to be the best I can be at the end of the season. Overall I think this has been a good season with a bunch of girls I really loved, It was enjoyable,” Bronner said.

Oswego Men’s Cross country team member Colin Greenseich finished 15th overall and earned a qualification spot to nationals. Greenseich no stranger to winning.

“I’d say my team favorite part was when we came in 3rd at SUNYAC. The was really big, huge for us. We didn’t do as well at regionals but coming in 3rd at SUNYACs was a really big deal. I was very happy about that. And at regionals, coming in 15th
and making it to nationals this week is really exciting,” Greenseich said.

For more information on the cross country team, visit http://oswegolakers.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=377.

The fourth ranked Oswego State men’s hockey team defeated seventh ranked Geneseo 4-2 on Friday in what was a crucial SUNYAC matchup. With the win, the Lakers move to 17-3-2 overall while also clinching home-ice advantage throughout the conference playoffs. The Knights drop to 15-5-3 on the season.

Oswego came out strong on the offensive end in the beginning of the game scoring three goals. One of the scores came from Mitch Herlihey, off of an assist from Josh Zizek. The assist was Zizek’s team-leading 17th of the season. Geneseo’s top-five nationally ranked offense would not go down easily though as they cut the Lakers’ lead to just one in the final period. With 19 seconds remaining, Oswego put the game away on Herlihey’s empty net goal. The goal secured the senior captain a spot in the 100 point club making him the 56th Laker to reach the milestone.

Oswego will look to extend their winning streak tomorrow when they travel to Brockport for their last away matchup of the regular season. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm.