Umpqua Shooting

FBI Says 'Active Year' Of Mass Shootings Delayed Analysis Of Roseburg Shooter

By Amelia Templeton (OPB)
Portland, Oregon Oct. 1, 2016 11:27 p.m.
A deadly shooting in October 2015 at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, left 10 people dead, including the shooter.

A deadly shooting in October 2015 at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, left 10 people dead, including the shooter.

John Rosman / OPB

A year has passed since a student at Umpqua Community College killed his teacher and eight of his classmates, and then killed himself.

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Law enforcement hasn’t finished investigating the shooting.

The Douglas County sheriff has said he hopes to finish his investigation by the end of the year, but he is waiting on an FBI analysis that looks at warning signs and events that led up to the attack.

That report has been delayed due to other mass shootings in Dallas, Orlando and San Bernardino, according to Greg Bretzing, the FBI’s Special Agent in Charge in Oregon.

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“The people who are working the behavioral analysis report at Umpqua are the same individuals who are also looking at the behaviors of those who have carried out attacks across this country,” he said. "It's been unfortunately a rather active year in this kind of matter."

Related: Tragedy At Umpqua Community College

Bretzing said law enforcement often has no warning before a mass shooting, but friends, family and mental health professionals can be trained to notice indicators that someone is considering an attack.

"It might and very likely won't be law enforcement that recognizes the initial indicators, but someone will, and we're making sure we educate people as best we can, so that those people can act," Bretzing said.

The Umpqua Community College shooter acted alone and obtained his gun legally.

Bretzing said the day before the Umpqua shooting happened last year, he addressed a joint meeting with the Oregon State Chiefs of Police and the Oregon Sheriffs' Association to talk about lessons learned after other mass shootings.

Many of the law enforcement officers he spoke with that day responded to the attack the next morning at the college.

"Our thoughts and prayers for the victims are as strong today as they were on the day that we responded," he said.

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