Jim Rosica
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has ordered the state flag at half-staff in honor of the nine people shot dead last week at an Oregon community college.
Scott announced the move in a Sunday afternoon memo.
“(P)ursuant to a Presidential Proclamation, I hereby direct the flags of the United States and the State of Florida to be flown at half-staff at all local, state, and federal buildings, installations, and grounds throughout the State of Florida,” Scott said.
The flags will remain at half-staff until sunset on Tuesday, he added.
The lowering of the flags coincides with the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service this week.
A 26-year-old gunman opened fire and killed nine people Thursday at the Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. He was an Army boot camp dropout who studied mass shooters before becoming one himself.
Officials on Friday also released the names of the dead, who ranged in age from 18 to 67 and included several freshmen and a teacher. They were sons and daughters, spouses and parents.
A social media campaign has since started up for the 30-year-old Army veteran who rushed the gunman and was shot at least five times himself.
Chris Mintz is expected to recover, hospital officials said.
According to the Daily Dot, “thousands of people are signing an online petition urging the Obama administration to award (Mintz) the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” the U.S. government’s highest civilian honor.
Last year, President Obama gave the award to retired NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw, author Isabel Allende, musician Stevie Wonder and actress Meryl Streep, among others.
“Mr. Mintz positively displayed the values of loyalty, duty, respect, honor, integrity, personal courage, and self-sacrifice to attempt to save as many of his fellow citizens as possible,” the petition says. It had 7,127 signatures as of Monday morning.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this post.
