Federal authorities descended on Roseburg, Or., as social media rumors spread of a hate-based motive behind yesterday’s mass shooting at Umpqua Community College, The Oregonian reports. Oregon’s top federal prosecutor said he and other government officials have heard the same rumors that the public has about the shooter’s issuing “some sort of race-related manifesto” before the crime. A student, Kortney Moore, told a Roseburg newspaper that the shooter had asked students to state their religion before opening fire. Moore was sitting in her writing class when a bullet blasted through the window and she saw her teacher shot in the head, the News Review reported.
In one classroom, he singled out Christians for shooting, according to witness Anastasia Boylan. “He said, 'Good, because you're a Christian, you're going to see God in just about one second,'” Boylan's father, Stacy, told CNN. One popular message board, 4chan, appeared to foreshadow an incident planned for yesterday morning. “Some of you guys are alright. Don’t go to school tomorrow if you are in the northwest,” the message reads. The post does not mention Umpqua Community College, Oregon or a shooting. As with most entries on 4chan, the post was anonymous. The U.S. Department of Justice often makes a heavy footprint in major bias crimes.