ian mercer said he had no idea how many guns his son had. >> a new >>> tonight we are hearing from an openly gay d.c. resident who had a special meeting with pope francis. he met francis when he was a jesuit student. he told us that the pope's message held a special resonance with him. >> he ended up saying, i can guarantee you that in my service, there is no place for homophobia. to me, that was perhaps the sentence or the thing that he said that was the most important thing. >> kim davis is the clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. meantime, the vat cap has fired a priest after he announced he is gay. standing by his partner he called on the church to change their stance on homosexuality. the fired priest says reform is needed. >> every homosexual person is son of god. when belief of god in a christian community. >> the vatican said his dismissal has nothing to do with his personal situation. >> what our government is saying >>> still a lot of questions tonight about the apparent u.s. air strike on ann afghan hospital. 19 people died. the stories >> we want an expl

amy: that is ian mercer, father of chris harper mercer. could talk, if you to that and also that chris harper-mercer had cited the man who killed your daughter, alison, as an example that he was a nobody who then was on the lips of the world because of the people he killed. isamy, part of the problem we have a lot of bad parenting out there. unfortunately, you can't legislate bad parenting. you can't do anything about it. it you can do things like universal background checks and closing gun loopholes to at least help prevent these things, to mitigate some of this bad parenting. i want to know, certainly, he gets it, and from what i understand he does she never saw his son much, they lived apart on a but i want to know what his mother was doing and as we read these revelations that she -- she had an arsenal herself and was clearly involved in this young man's life. frankly, she should be an accessory to murder. account of her having all the weapons and bragging about it. she had to know something was up. listen, my son has asperger's. he is

ian mercer: obviously it has been a devastating day. shocked -- shocked is all i can say. lauren: but this morning, tales of heroism emerging. witnesses say 30-year-old student and army vet chris mintz charged straight at the gunman , trying to save who he could. hannah miles: and he actually ran back towards the building where the shooting was, and he ran back into the building, and i don' t know what happened to him. lauren: he is out of surgery now , recovering from seven gunshot wounds, seen here in this photo from a social posting. as for the gunman, abc news has learned he was armed with three pistols and an assault-style rifle. authorities are still looking for the motive as this college remains closed until monday. lauren lyster, abc news, roseburg, oregon. erin: new this noon, we have learned that two men from hanscom air force base in massachusetts were among those killed in an overnight plane crash in afghanistan. at least 11 people were killed including six american service members. u.s. officials say the transport plane crashed while taking off from an airport

>> reporter: well, ian mercer clearly says that his son not gotten ahold of all the weapons had he not been able to purchase them, that this shooting likely would not have happened. this will be seized upon by gun control advocates. this is what he told our ryan young. >> how on earth could he compile 13 guns? how can that happen? you know, you talk about gun laws, you talk about gun control every time something like this happens, they talk about it and nothing is done >>well, mercer declined to say whether his son had mental or health issues. he said he's going to leave that up to the authorities. that he hasn't seen his son in two years since he moved to oregon from california. >> dan, i understand there are some details that are newly coming in about what happened inside the classroom. another account of what happened when the shooter started firing. what have you learned? >> reporter: well, we know that officers arrived on scene here about five minutes after the initial call to 9-1-1. they quickly confronted the shooter and authorities say had that not happened, that certainly woul

ian mercer is shocked and devastated. this is the photo of his son, chris harper mercer, you can see what appears to be a rifle. the 26-year-old lived in oregon with his mother. investigators searched the whom throughout the night. neighbors described the suspect as kind odd and say they used to see him come asking going with what they thought were gun cases. the suspect said he and his mom would go shooting at a gun range. the suspect's father is headed to oregon now and said he is cooperating with investigators. >> obviously it has been a devastating day. devastating for me and my family, and i ask, i know you are here to do your job, i ask you respect our privacy. >> officers are pouring over threatening posts made at a bulletin board saying in part and i quote, "don't go to school tomorrow if you are in the northwest." thank you. >> the sheriff where the shooting happen has been outspoken against gun control. the sheriff sent an open letter to vice president biden saying gun legislation was not the answer and that he w

ian mercer said he had a good relationship with his son chris harper mercer. harper mercer shot and killed nine people. the family is devastated by the tragedy his son caused. >> i know words will not bring your families back and i know that nothing i can say can change what happened but please believe my my thoughts are with those families and i hope that they can get through this. >> ian harper also says he's never held guan in his life and he had no idea that his son had any. officials are still trying to figure out a motive for that shooting. >>> temperatures already back into the 30s in some spots. but a good warmup on the way. i'm timing out when we'll see the change in temperatures plus, where we'll see sunshine tomorrow. >>> plus, sounding off over planned parenthood. still to come tonight senator liz beg warren making passionate arguments in defense of the organization. what she says will happen if republicans try to defund it. >>> but next check before you grab your keys. the new device aimed at project to drivers, passengers and pedestrians it's not

ian mercer is blaming lax gun laws for the tragedy. meanwhile, the community turns to the church for healing. many of the victims remembered at church services throughout the region on sunday. >>reporter: outside at businesses in roseburg. >> god's was the first heart to break. >>reporter: and inside places of worship, a community is coming together to support each other in one of their darkest hours. words of comfort to church goers. >> someone hell bent on killing others is going to look for way to do that. i for one, as a follower of jesus, i dare say why should we make these malevolent schemes easier with easy access to firearms? we can do better. for god's sake, we must do better. >> as the community grieves, the father of the shooter is speaking out publicly about the weapons his son had in his possession echoing support for uncreased gun control. >> i'm not trying to say gun control is to blame for what happened but if chris had not been able to get ahold of 13 guns, it would not have happen. >> the family i don't believe should

and some of the reporters spoke to his father, ian mercer. he didn't have much to say to those reporters. >> i can't answer any questions right now. i don't want to answer any questions right now. obviously it's been a devastating day. devastating for me and my family. so all i ask is i know you guys are here to do your job. all i ask will you just respect our privacy. and so far you've been that. -- >> is there any [ inaudible ] >> shocked. shocked is all i can say. >> the motive, of course, is not clear here. the investigation, as they say, is just getting started. the community college is the only college in this city of about 22,000 people. there were about 3,000 students, it is estimated, on campus at the time. the students anywhere from high school age taking some college credits, all the way to students in their 50s and 60s. amy? >> jacob rascon, thank you for your reporting. such a dreadful tragedy. >>> so often in the wake of tragedy there are calls to mourn first and get into policy and politics later. well, yesterday in an impassio

. >> the father of the shooter is not talking publicly about his son, ian mercer said that he had a harmoniousnship with his son but mercer is struggling to understand how and why the shooting happened. the ads that he was stunned to learn that his son had accumulated so many guns. >> it has been as i said before devastating for me and my family. but we are not alone in this. my heart goes out to all of the families that were affected by this and i know words will not bring your families back and i know that nothing i can say can change what happened, but please believe me, my thoughts are with all of those families. and i hope that they can get through this. >> mercer says that there should be changes to gun laws and that his heart goes out to the families victims. victims of the families, rather. coming up on kron4 news, weekend, finally day of the strictly bluegrass festival and we will tell you what you can expect if you want to check out the concert. >>> next, iconic star wars outfit has been auctioned off. we will tell you how much princess leia bikini just sold for. >>> one lucky movie

ian mercer, the father of the gunman, is speaking out about gun laws today, saying they need to change. he says he did not know about his son's cache of weapons. >>> meanwhile, the pentagon opening an investigation into the deadly bombing of a doctors without borders facility in afghanistan. 19 people, at least, were dozens more wounded at the hospital. officials say in a statement that u.s. air forces conducted an air strike in the vicinity of the building, targeting insurgents, who they say were firing on u.s. service members. the international health charity is now pulling out of the city. meanwhile, tens of thousands of people in china being forced out of their neighborhoods after a strong typhoon is moving in. it made landfall earlier today after leaving more than a dozen fishermen missing in the philippines. it's expected to dump at least 11 inches of rain, along with winds of about 112 miles an hour. so far, though, no reports of any injuries or damage. >>> coast guard crews searching for a missing cargo ship have discovered a life ring. the ship lost power and began taking on w

ian mercer was stunned to learn how many guns his son accumulated. >> i had no idea he had any guns. i had no idea he had guns whatsoever and i am a big believe are you don't buy guns. you don't guy -- buy guns. >> they held a vigil in support of the victims and their families. tiffany wilson was there and tiffany, attendees say they hope this is the tipping point. >> that's right. they hope this is the last mass shooting our nation will mourn and they hope concrete changes will be made. >> there is grief for those lost and and hope for the future summed up with one word. this dad thought sandy hook would be the tipping poift. >> >> he hopes to show his twin daughters that things can improve and it starts with communities coming together. >> he says americans don't have the luxury to be cynical when people continue to die. >> you always have to keep working against all odds even if it feels that way. you do it for the future to save lives. no room. >> the campaign against gun violence say they encouraged everyone who attended to call their representatives and push for stricter gun la

ian mercer said he did not know his son owned 13 guns. he demands how anyone can get so many weapons so easily. >> it has to change. how can it not? even people that believe in the right to bear arms. what right do you have to take people's lives? that's what guns are? the killers. it's as simple as that. it's black and white. what do you want the gun for? >> again, he refuses to comment on his son's mental state. a cnn exclusive. tracey hugh was in the classroom where the shooter gunned down victims one by one. she suffered a bullet wound to her hand and survived. she spoke to cnn's sara sidner. >> reporter: john and christine, this is the first time we are hearing a first hand account from someone inside the umpqua community college in snyder hall when the gunman came in and started shooting people one by one. >> i was sitting in front of the classroom facing the teacher when everything happened. he just came in and shot toward the back of the wall and told everybody to get in the center of the room. >> did he hit anyone when he first s

. >> the gunman's father ian mercer spoke about the tragedy on saturday. >> every time something like this happens, they talk about it and nothing is done. i'm not trying to say that he's not to blame for what happened but he should not been able to get ahold of 13 guns it wouldn't have happened. >> this is an important issue to you, personally, your wife was seriously injured in one of these horrific mass shootings. how much as something of a victim like this, how much do you blame the parents for letting a child spiral out of control like this. do they bear any responsibility? >> well, we see time and time again especially with mooass shootings there's a component of mental illness, you know, with the shooter. we see it in tucson, sandy hook, and aurora, and now in roseburg, and, you know, i think people who are around an individual with mental illness do have some responsibility. that does include the parents. you know, the fbi has a profile on individuals like it. you can see what are the symptoms of somebody with mental illness, and, you know, folk need to take action and get peo

ian mercer spoke with reporters hours after learning his son allegedly opened fire inside a classroommunity college three was a student. this is the photo of chris harper mercer. in his hand you can see what appears to be the end of a rifle. investigators are trying to establish a motive. witnesses say religion was a factor. the father of a survivor said that his daughter told him the shooter targeted christians. >> are you a christian? he would ask. if you are a christian, stand up and they would stand up and he said good, because you are a christian, you are going to see god in a bout one second and he shot and killed them. >> this is a devastating day, for me can my family and i ask, i know you are here to do your job, i ask you respect our privacy. >> suspect is confirmed dead. the father is cooperating with the investigation. coming up at 6:00, we will hear from a witness who was on campus at the time of shooting and what she went through. >> thank you. the county sheriff where the shooting happen has been outspoken against gun criminal. the sheriff hanlin sent an open letter to

but the home itself we know that ian mercer lives here. he is the father.is wife and stepdaughter. one neighbor tells us about the last 10 years. mercer left the house this morning. did stop to talk to the media last night he did make a brief statement expressing shock and sadness over the incident. he declined to spook further about his son. neighbors here tell us that that they had very little interaction with the shooter. they only saw him visit a few times. another neighbor we spoke to said he never saw chris harper mercer are and didn't even realize that the shooter was his neighbor's son. so, again now, this is california. we are learning more about chris harper mercier, that he lived in nearby attorneys, california in an apartment. when the pair moved to oregon. neighbors there described him as a quiet lombardier. we also understand that he graduated in 2009 from switzer learning center. that is a school that it says helps children with learning disabilities and autism. greta? >> within hours of a deadly shooting rampage president obama addressing th

ian mercer said he had a good relationship with his son. police say harper mercer shot and killed nine people at umpqua community college and nine others before turning the gun on himself. his fair said the family is devastated by this tragedy his son caused. >> i know words will not bring your families back and i know nothing i say can help change what happened but please believe me my thoughts are with all of those families and i hope they can get through this. >> ian harper also says he's never held a gun in his life and had no idea his son had any. >>> you know violence in schools is something that's become all too common. >> which is why police dedicate time to train for that kind of tragedy. ahead what police focus on when they prepare for an active shooter. >> also tonight are you curious why massachusetts doesn't have a hands free driving law? when you will be able to speak up in fronts of people who can make that happen. >>> fire engulfed a local just how close to the scen >>> a violent night in worcester as police now looking for

ian mercer, father of chris harper-mercer, made the comments in an interview with cnn. >> the question i would like to ask is, how on earth could he compile 15 guns? how can that happen? they talk about gun laws, they talk about gun control -- every time something like this happens, they talk about it, and nothing is done. i'm not trying to say that is to blame for what happened, but if chris had not been able to get a hold of these guns, it would not have happened. amy: an autopsy has confirmed chris harper-mercer killed himself after killing eight of his classmates and a professor. meanwhile, in northern california, four high school students have been arrested as part of what authorities are calling a highly detailed mass shooting plot at their high school. no weapons have been found. republican presidential candidate jeb bush has come under criticism for his response to the massacre in oregon. speaking friday afternoon, bush said "stuff happens." ,>> we are reporting a difficult time in our country and i don't believe more government is necessarily the answer to this. i think we nee

his father, ian mercer, told cnn -- >> how on earth could he compile 13 guns?reporter: more questions than answers in a senseless tragedy as a community tries to heal. miguel almaguer, nbc news, portland, oregon. >> we've reached out for comment from laurel harper but we've not received a response. >>> coming up, a new report out today adds to the mystery hyped vice president joe biden's decision on whether to run for president. nbc's senior political editor mark murray joins us with that next. >>> breaking news from south carolina. in a few minutes, governor nikki haley about give an update on the state's recovery efforts as several dams are in danger of failing at any moment. one dam is close to an area where about 50,000 people currently live. we'll be right back. firs at safelite, we know how busy life can be. these kids were headed to their first dance recital... ...when their windshield got cracked... ...but they couldn't miss the show. so dad went to the new safelite-dot-com. and in just a few clicks, he scheduled a replacement... ...before the girls eve

his father ian mercer told cnn -- >> how on earth could he compile 13 guns? >> reporter: more questions than answers in a senseless tragedy as a community tries to heal. neighbors say laurel harmer and her son lived here for roughly two years, that they were quiet and kept to themselves. they also say they were shocked that they had such a large arsenal of weapons. kate, back to you. >> miguel, thank you. >>> after the break, a big admission today on capitol hill, the top u.s. general in afghanistan said the hospital run by doctors without borders was mistakenly hit by an air strike over the weekend. >>> plus, donald trump is being heavily outspent by his rivals, but he's still holding his front-runner status. ari melber has the details up next. ♪ the way i see it, you have two choices; the easy way or the hard way. you could choose a card that limits where you earn bonus cash back. or, you could make things easier on yourself. that's right, the quicksilver card from capital one. with quicksilver you earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere

ian mercer also believes gun laws should change.he said thursday's attack would not have happened if his son had not been able to get the guns. authorities say the gunman had 14 guns and took six of them to campus. >>> today new staffing changes begin in prince george's county and the fire department, working to stay within its budget. part of it includes overtime, increasing the number of volunteer firefighters. they're re-assigning 12 firefighters to other fire departments. >>> bishops are meeting today to talk about how to reach the gay community. what one is saying about the way it can change the church. >>> a farmer dug this up by surprise. here's a hint. here's a hint. it was definitely i was at my shop tied up with a customer when i realized the time. i had to get to the bank before it closed, so i made a break for it. when i got out it was almost closing time. traffic was bad. i knew i was cutting it close. but it was ok. i use td bank. it's got the longest hours and stays open an extra ten minutes every day. i'm sid. and i

his father ian mercer told cnn -- >> how on earth could he compile 13 guns? >> reporter: more questions than answers in a senseless tragedy as a community tries to heal. miguel almaguer, nbc news, portland, oregon. >> and we've reached out for comment from laurel harper but have not gotten a response. >>> florida senator and republican presidential candidate marco rubio says gun control would have done nothing to prevent the oregon school shooting. earlier here on "today" senator rubio also told matt that his decision to seek the presidency is not about personal ambition. >> my ambitions aren't for me. my ambitions are for the country and florida, and that's why i'm running for president, and i honestly believe that if i can become elected president, we can begin to fix some of these issues. >> senator rubio portrayed himself as a foreign policy expert and the latest polls show his candidacy among republicans is picking up steam. >>> now to a touching story out of north carolina this morning. 17 years ago brook and adrian walked down the church aisle together

ian bernard mercer spoke to reporters outside his home in southern california. >> this shocked everybodyhappened today. i have just been talking to the police and the fbi. that is all the details i have right now. is what you guys know already. okay? >> sir, did you have any inclination your son had problems? >> i can't answer any questions right now. it has been a devastating day. devastating for me and my family. all i ask, i know you guys are here to do your job. all i ask is you please respect our privacy. >> i'm terribly sorry for your loss. >> i'm shocked. >> the fbi interviewed others who knew mercer from his time in southern california. they are working now to build a profile of his history and behavior. >>> the napa valley wine train is facing a lawsuit from a group of mostly black women saying discrimination got them kicked off the train. they are asking for $11 million. tara moriarty has the developments. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a fun filled book club meeting and birthday celebration. but it quickly turned into a nightmare. the women are suing for $11 million. that

his father, ian mercer, told cnn -- >> how on earth could he compile 13 guns?stions than answers in a senseless tragedy as a community tries to heal. miguel almaguer, nbc news, portland, oregon. >>> lots ahead on this busy tuesday morning. we are keeping close watch on senate hearing under way investigating the situation in afghanistan in the wake of a deadly hospital strike in kunduz. we'll bring you the details as we get them. >>> growing buzz around vice president joe biden and just how close is he to announcing his plans for 2016? >>> and later, a surprise candidate for house speaker emerges. we'll tell you five things about congressman jason chaffetz, the republican from utah. at safelite, we know how busy life can be. these kids were headed to their first dance recital... ...when their windshield got cracked... ...but they couldn't miss the show. so dad went to the new safelite-dot-com. and in just a few clicks, he scheduled a replacement... ...before the girls even took the stage. safelite-dot-com is the fast, easy way to schedule service anywhere in ame

his father ian mercer told cnn -- >> how on earth could he compile 13 guns?er: more questions than answers in a senseless tragedy as a community tries to heal. nbc news, portland, oregon. >> nbc news has reached out for comment from laurel harper but has gotten no response. >>> another story developing today. oklahoma's controversial ten commandments monument was removed from the state capital grounds overnight. the granite monument has sparked controversy since its installation. the removal follows the state supreme court's decision in june that the display violates the oklahoma constitution. the monument has been moved to a private conservative think tank for storage. >>> the sun may be shining in south carolina but parts of the state still under water today as residents are on the watch for possibility of new evacuations. we are live from the region next. >>> and thirsty for attention? is donald trump's prank on marco rubio a sign the donald is slipping? that's our question to you today. your responses coming. looks like some folks have had it with their a

. >> mercer's parents divorced in 2006. his father ian in los angeles said the killings are >> shocked. >> reporter: mercer ascended this southern california school for emotionally troubled children and moved with his mother to oregon two years ago. neighbors say it was obvious he was troubled. >> i thought he was kind of an odd guy. he was a grown little kid. he would have tantrums if things didn't go his way. >> on his own social media he showed fascination with the military and the irish republican army. he enlisted in 2008 and was kicked out one month later. on a dating website he was associated with a group called doesn't like associated religionch and he had an assault-style rifle and a bulletproof jacket. >> the jacket had steel plate as long with five magazines. an additional amount of ammunition was also recovered at the apartment. >> reporter: a search of the apartment where he lived with his mother turned up seven more guns. officials say all of the guns that mercer had were purchased legally and nothing from his past would hav

mercer committed the crime using three handguns and an assault rifle. his myspace profile shows him holding a rifle, the barrel pointed up. ian harper is mercer's father. >> i'm just as shocked as anybody at what happened today. i've just been talking to the police and the fbi. obviously it's been a devastating day, devastating for me and my family. >> reporter: mercer left a social media footprint on a website where a blog attributed to him had recent posts. writing about a police shooting, mercer said last month, "killing an officer that never did anything to you is not the answer." in august he weighed in on a shooting of two television journalists in roanoke virginia, saying of that gunman, "it seems the more people you kill, the more you're in the limelight." mercer are strong advertise tie california. he used to live with his mother in this unit before moving to oregon. neighbors said mercer was quiet and enjoyed shooting for sport. >> he actually did say he used to do go shooting at some range. i don't know where it was. >> reporter: mercer's social media accounts are filled with posts glorifying the irish republican a

mercer, born in july of 1989. his mom just listed as ms. harper on that birth record. as you played that sound from his dad, ian, they are totally shocked about this. but from what we've been able to learn, they didn't have much of a relationship, as he was living in this community with his mother for some time now. but again, it is completely unclear about this note that was left behind, as you're reporting, about the notion that he was full of hate. he did have a myspace profile. and what we've learned from that is that there was a picture of him holding a rifle and also where he has made his disdain for organized religion known. one thing from one of the victims, a teen, ana boylan, who was in surgery for a bullet to be removed from her spine -- she told her mother before going into surgery that she saw her teacher shot and that mercer was asking people what they were -- are you a christian? and if they said yes, he would shoot them in the head. >> right. >> reporter: and if they would say no, he would only shoot them in the leg. we do expect another update from the douglas county sheriff's department later