Oregon Shooting Suspect 'Highly Regarded for His Spirituality' at Mormon Church
The 15-year-old suspected of recently opening fire at his high school near Portland, Oregon, has been described as a "spiritual" person who was very involved with his local Mormon church.
A church elder with the local Hartley Park Ward in Gresham recently described suspect Jared Padgett as a spiritual and quiet person who was devoted to his local Mormon church. Padgett is suspected of opening fire at Reynolds High School in Troutdale on Tuesday, killing one fellow classmate and injuring a teacher before turning the gun on himself in a campus bathroom stall.
Padgett was "highly regarded for his spirituality," church elder Earl Milliron told NBC News on Wednesday. "I just can't believe it … He was very quiet, very serious about his church."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Although 86-year-old Milliron was surprised by Padgett's alleged attack, the church elder did suggest that the divorce between Padgett's parents could have been a difficult thing to cope with for the 15-year-old. Padgett's father reportedly served as an elder at the local Mormon congregation, located at 3500 Southeast 182nd Ave in Gresham.
Following Tuesday's shooting, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement, saying it was "profoundly troubled" by the attack. "With the entire community, we are shaken and profoundly troubled by this tragedy that has impacted the lives of so many families and individuals. We are praying for all those involved, and hope they will be given the peace they need during this difficult time."
Other friends and acquaintances of Padgett have described him as normal and quiet. Edgar Machiel, 17, rode the bus to school with Padgett on Tuesday morning and lives a few blocks down from the Padgett residence. "He was just normal," the 17-year-old recalled of his classmate. "It doesn't make any sense. It's hard to explain."
Padgett has also been described by media outlets as liking firearms and aspiring to join the military when he turned 18, just as his older brother had.
A 911 call placed around 8 a.m. Tuesday alerted authorities that a shooter was present at Reynolds High School. Padgett had allegedly concealed a military-style rifle and a semiautomatic pistol in a guitar case that he brought with him to school. The suspect then allegedly opened fire in the school's gymnasium, killing 14-year-old freshman Emilio Hoffman in a boys' locker room. No connection between Padgett and Hoffman has been established.
President Barack Obama spoke out on Tuesday, condemning the Oregon attack and recent shootings at other schools, including one at the University of California, Santa Barbara and another one at Seattle Pacific University in Washington.
Obama condemned Americans' unwillingness "to take some basic steps to keep guns out of the hands of people who can do just unbelievable damage."
"We're the only developed country on the earth where this happens," he said.
"Right now, it's not even possible to get even the mildest restrictions through Congress, and we should be ashamed of that."
