Oregon shooting hero still in recovery: Donations for his medical expenses surpass $700,000

Show seven times while charging the shooter

Chris Mintz left a happy birthday message for his nonverbal autistic son on Thursday before going to his classes at the Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. 

Later, he reportedly set off fire alarms as a gunman opened fire. Mintz charged the shooter, was shot seven times, broke both legs and survived. To pay his medical expenses, his family set up a GoFundMe account and generous donations began to pour in.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - In a brave attempt to save his classmates from Chris Harper-Mercer's attack, Mintz, a 30-year-old Army veteran, charged him and blocked the classroom entrance. As a result he was shot seven times. As he lay on the ground bleeding, he told the gunman it was his son's birthday. However, the deranged shooter continued to shoot him. 

"He ran to the library and pulled the alarms and he was telling people to run. 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," said a witness. 

Mintz had served 10 years in the army and just started college his aunt reported. 
"I was told he went after the shooter. There was no way he was going to stand around and watch something this horrific happen," said his cousin Derek Bourgeois on a statement with The Daily Mail. 

Bourgeois set up a GoFundMe account for his heroic cousin. The page reads, "The funds are going to be sent directly to Chris to assist with  his recovery (medical bills, paying his bills while he out of work, childcare for his son, etc). 

Thousands of generous donors surpassed the target of $10,000. As of Monday afternoon, there were $22,875 donations totaling $764,267. People left several warm comments on the page, including Keely Kyotala's comment reading "I hope gofundme will waive their fees so this man gets everything donated to him. He deserves every penny."

Miraculously, none of the seven bullets damaged Mintz's vital organs. He will need to undergo multiple surgeries and be rehabilitated to help him learn how to walk again but Mintz's condition continues to improve. 

From the hospital, Mintz wrote on his Facebook, "Hope the others injured and their families are doing well, goodnight for me."

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