Oregon Shooting: Hero Army Vet Shot 7 Times Trying To Take Down Shooter & Survived

Chris Mintz, 30, stepped up in the most terrifying and dangerous situations one could ever be found in. Chris Harper-Mercer, 26, brutally shot and killed 9 innocent people at Umpqua Community College in Oregon on Oct. 1, but the Army veteran tried valiantly to stop the gunman from murdering anyone else. Mintz was reportedly shot 7 times and suffered two broken legs during his heroic act. As he lay wounded on the floor, he kept uttering it was his son’s sixth birthday.

Chris Mintz “tried to protect some people,” his aunt Sheila Brown told NBC News . “We were told he did heroic things to protect some people.” Chris was taken into surgery after suffering seven gunshot wounds to his back, abdomen and hands. He also has two broken legs. He is expected to survive but may have to learn to walk again.

Chris charged straight at the gunman to try and save the lives of others around him, according to The Daily Beast. “It’s my son’s birthday, it’s my son’s birthday,” he was believed to have said after being wounded. His son, Tyrik, celebrated his sixth birthday on Oct. 1. The father wished his son a “Happy Birthday” on Facebook hours before the shooting.

For those that know Chris Mintz, it’s not a surprise that he’s a hero. “He was on the wrestling team and and he’s done cage-fighting so it does not surprise me that he would act heroically,” Sheila told NBC News. She added that he’s “an extremely good guy.” His cousin, Derek Bourgeois, told DailyMail.com: “There was no way he was going to stand around and watch something this horrific happen.”

Chris Mintz was raised in Randleman, North Carolina and served about 10 years in the Army. He had just started college at Umpqua Community College. He moved to Oregon to help raise his son. In a Facebook post last month, he wrote, “Why waste time wondering when I can enjoy my time experiencing life. Memories are what makes life worth living, even the bad ones bring you the ability to love the good ones.”

In the midst of all the tragedy, it’s so touching to hear of people like Chris Mintz. An eyewitness revealed that the gunman made the victims state their religion before he shot them. How awful. The gunman was killed after a shootout with police. Thankfully, other students at Umpqua helped each other escape from the horrifying situation to prevent even more tragedy from happening.

My  thoughts go out to the families and friends of the victims during this difficult time.