President Obama will phone the Army veteran who tried to save lives during the mass shooting on an Oregon college campus, according to a new report.
Obama will speak to Chris Mintz, 30, on either Tuesday or Wednesday, according to The Observer.
{mosads}Mintz reportedly used his martial-arts background to protect fellow students during an attack on Umpqua Community College (UCC) in Roseburg, Ore., last Thursday. The Observer said on Tuesday that he is now recovering from seven bullet wounds and two broken legs.
“Chris says he doesn’t seek publicity at all,” said Kivonna Coccia, who described herself as Mintz’s “best friend” in an email to the news publication.
“He is unaware of what his life is about to become,” she said. “When we see random invites, some seem enticing, [but] he wants to do his best to stay out of the politics of it.”
“Chris is immensely humble and really doesn’t want the fame,” Coccia added. “His future interests lie in his education, his son and raising autism awareness.”
Chris Harper Mercer, 26, allegedly interrogated UCC students about their religious faith before opening fire.
The Observer reported on Tuesday that Mintz told the gunman that his son, Tyrik, was celebrating his sixth birthday the day of the attack.
Nine people were killed and seven more injured in the rampage.
A White House petition is now urging Obama to award Mintz the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his actions.
A separate GoFundMe fundraiser, meanwhile, has raised $773,604 for UCC victim relief in Mintz’s name.
Reports emerged on Tuesday that Obama will also visit the victims’ families on Friday during a four-day swing through the West Coast. Obama’s trip includes a fundraiser in Seattle that morning for Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
The president has harshly criticized Congress for its inaction on gun control legislation in the wake of last week’s attack.