MSNBC “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough weighed in Monday morning on the debate over whether the shooter at the Oregon community college should be named by news organizations.
Scarborough, a former GOP member of Congress, said he wished shooters in mass killings could go unnamed to deprive the shooter of any additional attention.
A shooting at Umpqua Community College on Thursday morning left 10 dead, including the shooter, and nine others injured. The shooter, whose death was ruled a suicide, was identified as Chris Harper-Mercer.
Douglas County (Oregon) Sheriff John Hanlin, whose office is investigating the massacre, has said that he would not give Harper-Mercer’s name. Initial news reports cited unnamed government officials when reporting it.
Some Fox News hosts have also said they will not to use the shooter’s name on-air.
The topic was discussed as part of a larger conversation about the shooting on “Morning Joe,” during which Scarborough said that he wished the shooter’s name could be withheld.
“And there are no easy answers to any of these questions,” he said. “The one thing I noticed is this guy knew that if he did this, things like this would happen and he would get recognized.”
“I think, in part, it is an effort for people to get attention,” Scarborough said. “I really wish we could stop giving the names of these people who are committing these heinous crimes, in large part for the attention. Because they go out in their twisted minds as folk heroes.”
Watch the full “Morning Joe” discussion on the shooting:
