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13 dead in Oregon community college shooting

Posted at 8:03 PM, Oct 01, 2015
and last updated 2015-10-01 20:03:31-04

Oregon's Attorney General says 13 people have been killed and 20 others injured Thursday in a shooting at a southwestern Oregon community college.

The shooting happened at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, about 180 miles south of Portland. The local fire district advised people via Twitter to stay away from the school. It later tweeted that there were "multiple casualties," but didn't elaborate.

The shooter is deceased after exchanging gunfire with police, according to authorities.

State Police Lt.Bill Fugate told KATU-TV that seven to 10 people were dead and at least 20 others were injured. A photographer for the Roseburg News-Review newspaper said he saw people being loaded into multiple ambulances and taken to the local hospital.

Umpqua Community College has about 3,000 students. Its website was down Thursday, and a phone message left at the school wasn't immediately returned.

The Oregon State Police and Douglas County Sheriff's Office also didn't immediately returned calls from The Associated Press seeking additional details.

A spokeswoman for the Oregon department that oversees community colleges in the state said she had not received any detailed information about the shooting.

"It's extremely concerning and sad," said Endi Hartigan, spokeswoman for the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

The rural town of Roseburg lies west of the Cascade Mountains. The timber industry has struggled there, and authorities in recent years have tried to promote the area as a tourist destination for wine growing and outdoor activities.