Oregon gunman was Army basic-training dropout

The gunman who killed nine and wounded seven others at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, Thursday was a U.S. Army basic training dropout.

It only took Chris Harper-Mercer just over one month to flunk out of basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in 2008.

Seven years later, the 26-year-old would die in an exchange of gunfire with cops after targeting and slaughtering Christians in a gun-free zone.

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Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ben Garrett confirmed Harper-Mercer's discharge to the Associated Press on Friday, saying he failed to meet the Army's minimum standards.

Lt. Col. Ben Garrett did not elaborate on which standards, specifically, ended Harper-Mercer's enlistment. New soldiers must pass a battery of physical and academic tests over the course of basic training. They also must be in good mental health.

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In a strange twist of fate, Harper-Mercer briefly came into contact with a U.S. Army veteran who heroically attempted to stop the massacre.

Army veteran Chris Mintz, 30, was shot five times after charging Harper-Mercer shortly before 11:00 a.m. PST. Thursday. He broke both of his legs and will require extensive rehabilitation therapy.

"[He tried] to block the door to keep the gunman from coming in, gets shot three times, hits the floor, looks up at the gunman and says, ‘It’s my son’s birthday today.’ Gets shot two more times," Wanta Mintz, the veteran’s aunt, told CBS News Friday.

Mintz was operated on by staff at Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg, Oregon, and is expected to recover.