Oregon shooting hero Chris Mintz speaks for the first time since being shot five times

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Army veteran Chris Mintz confronted shooter Christopher Harper-Mercer at an Oregon community college last month
'The teacher knocked on the door and there were gunshots that sounded like firecrackers going off,' Mintz wrote in a Facebook post
Mintz, who was shot five times, told Harper-Mercer it was his son's birthday and Harper-Mercer decided not to shoot him in the face
Mintz said Harper-Mercer showed no emotion as though he were in a video game
Nine people were killed in the shooting at Umpqua Community College and many others were injured

Published: 09:59 EST, 17 October 2015 | Updated: 11:31 EST, 17 October 2015

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The hero Army veteran shot five times during the Oregon massacre last month after facing off with the shooter has spoken out for the first time since the incident that left nine dead.

In a Facebook post this week, Chris Mintz recalled how the day of the shooting at 'Umpqua Community College started so normal' before Christopher Harper-Mercer shot at students 'like he was playing a video game' noting that he 'showed no emotion.'

Harper-Mercer shot students, faculty, and eventually fatally fired at himself after being wounded by two police officers.

'There was a bunch of yelling that started in the other room, my teacher walked up to the door that connected our classroom and asked if everyone was OK, no one could tell what the yelling was,' Mintz wrote.

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Speaking out: In a Facebook post this week, Chris Mintz recalled how the day of the shooting at 'Umpqua Community College started so normal' before Christopher Harper-Mercer shot at students 'like he was playing a video game and showed no emotion.'

The shooter: 'All of a sudden, the shooter opened the classroom door beside the door to my left, he leaned half of his torso out and started shooting as I turned toward him,' Mintz wrote in his account on Facebook

'The teacher knocked on the door and there were gunshots that sounded like firecrackers going off.'

Mintz tried to save students by holding the door open as they ran out of the library. He sped through the aisles shouting to warn people of impending danger.

'Run for your lives!' he screamed as he ran back towards Snyder Hall where the shooting occurred.

'I saw a young girl who seemed to just be showing up to school and I yelled at her, 'you can't be here ... there's somebody shooting, you need to leave',' Mintz wrote.

'Her face, it changed, she seemed so scared. This is when I started making my way towards the classroom, I was walking slower, but as fast as a could because I didn't know where he was. I got to a classroom and looked into the door because it had a glass slate, a guy that was further away and hiding behind cars startled me and yelled, ‘Don’t man, he's going to shoot you, man."'

Mintz recalled seeing a female student screaming and covered in blood through the doorway of the classroom where Harper-Mercer ruthlessly opened fire.

Hospital photo: Mintz was shot five times in total and has two broken legs but he was allowed to return home on October 1 after a six day stay

Mintz told her to be quiet before he realized there was an entire classroom filled with people and that Harper-Mercer was inside.

'All of a sudden, the shooter opened the classroom door beside the door to my left, he leaned half of his torso out and started shooting as I turned toward him,' Mintz wrote in his account on Facebook.

'He had a black shirt on, a shaved head, was tan and wearing glasses, he was so nonchalant through it all, like he was playing a video game and showed no emotion. The shots knocked me to the ground and felt like a truck hit me.'

Mintz said that Harper-Mercer shot him in the hand and told him 'that's what you get for calling the cops.'

Mintz says his injuries immobilized him but that he told the gunman it was his son's birthday. The shooter held a gun up to Mintz's face but didn't shoot him.

Lucky: Mintz says his injuries immobilized him but that he told the gunman it was his son's birthday. The shooter held a gun up to Mintz's face but didn't shoot him.

New student: Chris Mintz had been in the army for 10 years and had just started college prior to the shooting

'I laid there, in a fetal position unable to move and responded, "I didn't call the cops, man, they were already on the way,"' Mintz wrote.

'He leaned further out of the classroom and tried to shoot my phone. I yelled, 'It's my kid's birthday, man' [and] he pointed the gun right at my face and then he retreated back into the class. I'm still confused at why he didn't shoot me again.'

Mintz said that he tried to push himself a classroom door but that he was unable to move.

'My legs felt like ice, like they didn't exist, until I tried to move. When I moved pain shot through me like a bomb going off,' he said.

Mintz said that when people arrived at the scene they though that he might have been the shooter but he told them that he actually tried to stop him.

He told officers to go to the classroom.

'I don't recall a lot after that,' he wrote.

Response: Authorities are pictured here responding to the bloody scene last month where nine were killed and many more were injured

'While still laying there, some students ran out of the classroom, some covered in blood ... A friend came out of the classroom and kneeled down beside me, traumatized and crying, I think she tried to pray with me, the only thing I could say was, ""It's my son's birthday" [and] "please call my son's mom and tell her, 'I can't pick him up from school today."'

Mintz says that he saw a familiar face on the scene and that's when he knew he was going to be ok.

He saw his friend who works as an EMT.

'I looked up and saw him walk up to the classroom door and said, "hey, buddy." He looked at me and responded, "hey." When I saw him, I KNEW WE WERE ALL GOING TO BE OK.'

The scene: Paramedics carry shooting victims into the emergency room at Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg, Oregon, following a deadly shooting at Umpqua Community College. Mintz thanked the hospitals and first responders for being 'the real heroes'

Mintz said that he thanks all the medical staff who rushed to the scene to aid those who were injured.

'I have to thank all the people who responded and everyone in the hospitals. THEY are the real heroes, they saved us,' he wrote.

He also apologized to the family of the victims who may have been pained by his Facebook post.

Mintz was shot five times in total and has two broken legs but he was allowed to return home on October 1 after a six day stay.

'I am recovering well and thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers,' he wrote.

'All the support I have received is overwhelming ... I am so happy with how the community has bonded and supported everyone during this healing,' he added.

Mintz had just started college after serving in the Army for 10 years.

Mintz is originally from Randleman, North Carolina.

Hero Army veteran Chris Mintz's full statement

I want to first thank everyone who has stepped up to help the families involved at UCC. All the support I have received is overwhelming and I could never repay them. I’m about to give my statement of how I remember that day, please be cautious because it may be graphic. I am releasing my statement on facebook because I’m not doing this for publicity and I don’t want any media outlet to alter it in anyway. This isn’t about politics, this isn’t about me, this is about a community healing. I am so happy with how the community has bonded and supported everyone during this healing.

It started so normal, the day that is. Work went well and I had plans for coffee with a friend before school. I ironically made a comment to my friend that I should skip class and my friend told me I couldn’t skip, off to school I went. I was in my writing 121 class and it was a typical day at UCC, the teacher was going over assignments, making the class laugh, like she had done all week. We were sitting in class, and there was a bunch of yelling that started in the other room, my teacher walked up to the door that connected our classroom and asked if everyone was ok, no one could tell what the yelling was.

The teacher knocked on the door and there were gunshots that sounded like firecrackers going off. I sat in the front middle of the class, so we all got up and took off out of the classroom and I stopped and held the door open and waited or everyone to leave safely. We all took off running down the breezeway toward the library, a boy and I collided while running because of the chaos and it knocked me to the ground.

A counselor kept screaming that someone needed to tell the people in the library, and I told her id do it. I ran in and told everyone they needed to leave and go to the other side of the campus, I ran through the book isles while yelling and pushed the emergency exits closest to registration open and ran through them and back down towards Snyder hall. I ran back towards Snyder and people across campus were walking around like nothing was going on, so I continued yelling at them to get out of there to leave(I was at the end of Snyder hall) I saw a young girl who seemed to just be showing up to school and I yelled at her “you cant be here” “there’s somebody shooting, you need to leave.”

Her face, it changed, she seemed so scared. This is when I started making my way towards the classroom, I was walking slower, but as fast as a could because I didn’t know where he was. I got to a classroom and looked into the door because it had a glass slate, a guy that was further away and hiding behind cars startled me and yelled “don’t man, hes going to shoot you man.” I stepped back a little bit and noticed a ladies foot wedged in the door(I was told later that this was Kim) there was so much blood and it was so dark. I nudged the door closed, I could only see one of the students through the door, she was screaming and yelling and covered in blood, I motioned my finger over my mouth communicating to be quiet and motioned both my hands down for them to stay down (at the time I didn’t know the classroom was full of people, I thought it was only the two of them.) I put my back up against the door and was just waiting, I heard the sirens coming down and yelled to the guy in the parking lot “you need to go get the cops” “tell them where we’re at” he couldnt hear me so I had to repeat it a few times.

All of a sudden, the shooter opened the classroom door beside the door to my left, he leaned half of his torso out and started shooting as I turned toward him. He had a black shirt on, a shaved head, was tan and wearing glasses, he was so nonchalant through it all, like he was playing a video game and showed no emotion.

The shots knocked me to the ground and felt like a truck hit me. He shot me again while I was on the ground and hit my finger, and said “that’s what you get for calling the cops” and I laid there, in a fetal position unable to move and responded “I didn’t call the cops man, they were already on the way.” He leaned further out of the classroom and tried to shoot my phone, I yelled “its my kids birthday man” he pointed the gun right at my face and then he retreated back into the class. I’m still confused at why he didn’t shoot me again.

I tried to push myself back against the classroom door but I couldn’t move at all. My legs felt like ice, like they didn’t exist, until I tried to move. When I moved pain shot through me like a bomb going off. I couldn’t move, his shots knocked me down onto my right hip, I tried to use my right hand to push myself. I started to lose track of time but it felt like I laid there for days. I saw the first officer appear, coming towards me, from the science building, I remember him wearing a blue polo type shirt. I heard glass start to fall in the classroom but couldn’t tell if shots were going in from the officers or out from the shooter.

Then the gun fire just stopped, and a second police officer crested the rock wall near the bathroom. They came up upon me but was unaware if I was the shooter and communicated back and forth between each other. I told them “he shot me” “hes in that classroom, but I don’t know if he’s down” I don’t recall a lot after that, I answered questions and stayed awake. More officers arrived in tactical gear. While still laying there, some students ran out of the classroom, some covered in blood. I guess my feet were close enough to the door, eventually they had to move me because the door kept opening and hitting my legs.

A friend came out of the classroom and kneeled down beside me, traumatized and crying, I think she tried to pray with me, the only thing I could say was “its my son’s birthday” “please call my sons mom and tell her, I can’t pick him up from school today.” Officers made her leave and an officer kneeled behind me and said “everything is going to be ok” him and another officer moved me away from the door. An EMT I am friends with was one of the first responders on the scene. I looked up and saw him walk up to the classroom door and said “hey buddy” he looked at me and responded “hey.” When I saw him, I KNEW WE WERE ALL GOING TO BE OK.

I want to apologize to any person, family, or anyone effected if this statement hurts them. I have hesitated to put it out for that reason. This is how I remember it. I knew this would be a painful piece for a lot of people, and it bothers me to bring the pain to others.I have to thank all the people who responded and everyone in the hospitals. THEY are the real heros, they saved us.I was shot five times, once in the left leg(breaking my femur) once in the right leg(breaking my tibia and fibula) once in the abdomen that exited my right hip, once at the top of my shoulder blade(it is still in my back, broke off part of my scapula and was about an inch from my aeorta) and finally my left finger(shattering the mid-joint of my ring finger.) Although I am not completely sure, I believe the caliber was a 38.

I am recovering well and thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers.

-Chris Mintz