ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) – Chris Mintz, an Oregon college student celebrated as a hero for running toward danger while a gunman opened fire at Umpqua Community College, says the shooter showed no emotion as he shot Mintz five times.
Mintz shared his story in a lengthy statement posted Friday night on Facebook. He describes his experiences in excruciating detail, from the normalcy of the morning, through the excruciating pain of being shot until the moment his friend, a medic, arrived.
“He was so nonchalant through it all, like he was playing a video game and showed no emotion,” Mintz wrote of the shooter. “The shots knocked me to the ground and felt like a truck hit me.”
Mintz wrote that he hesitated to share his account out of fear that it would be too painful for some people to read, and he offered an apology to anyone negatively affected.
He says the first responders and hospital workers are “the real heroes, they saved us.” Since the story of Mintz’s bravery became public, an online campaign has raised more than $800,000 to help with medical bills and his expenses while he recovers.