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Student hero shares message of thanks from hospital bed

ROSEBURG, Ore. — Law enforcement in Roseburg are asking people to focus not on the gunman, but on the victims and the heroes.

One such hero is a man, who used to live in Tacoma -- who was shot multiple times while running at the gunman.

Chris Mintz, 30, is an Army veteran who lived in Tacoma about 10 years ago while stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, according to Mintz’s brother.

Chris shared a message of gratitude from his hospital bed, saying he felt "overwhelmed by the support" that he's received.

He says he's doing well. The video was posted by Kivonna Coccia.

Mintz also wished a safe and speedy recovery to all of the other families affected.

Student hero Chris Mintz is sharing a message of gratitude. Kivonna Coccia posted this video of Chris, calling him "...

Posted by KIRO 7 News on Saturday, October 3, 2015

He is a student at Umpqua Community College who is taking classes to become a personal trainer, according to his brother.

Mintz told his family he heard gunshots from another classroom.

And when the gunman moved to Mintz's classroom, he was shot several times as he charged and tried to block a door to keep the shooter from coming in. Then, he hit the floor, looked up at the gunman, and told him it was his son's birthday, at which point the gunman shot two more times.

Somehow, Mintz survived seven gunshots, although he has two broken bones and a lot of rehabilitation ahead of him.

https://twitter.com/JeffKIRO7/status/649942143541211136

He very well may have saved others from being shot by taking multiple bullets himself.

Mintz is from North Carolina but moved to Oregon after getting out of the Army. His brother told a news website Mintz had been stationed at both Fort Bragg and Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Chris Mintz was a Specialist and member of the Stryker Brigade, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

He was based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord from 2004-2007 and received the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Travis Dixon of Bellevue was in the same Stryker Brigade as Mintz and heard about his act of bravery on Facebook.

"We trained pretty hard together. We lived together," said Dixon. “Chris is one of those guys, very outspoken, very friendly, always willing to help out with anything."

Dixon was not surprised Mintz risked his life to help his classmates.

"I guess in the military we're trained to like cover your buddy's back. In your head you're more concerned about the other person than yourself. I guess Chris proved that,” said Dixon.

Mintz family members in North Carolina, where the 30-year-old is from, who said they weren't surprised in the least that Mintz charged at the shooter Thursday.

One simply said, "Sounds like something he'd do."

Thursday was Mintz’s 6-year-old son’s birthday.

Mintz's cousin set up a GoFundMe account to try to raise $10,000 to cover medical expenses.

By Sunday, $729,670 had been raised.

The account had also added links to donations for other victims of the shooting -- reminding the public to support others affected.

KIRO

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