Chris Harper Mercer
| Tracking # |
1337885-000 |
| Submitted | Oct. 5, 2015 |
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Communications
From: Lukas Knight
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:
All records relating to the investigation of Chris Harper Mercer and his involvement in the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, especially as they pertain to his possible use of the website 4chan.org to announce his criminal intentions prior to the shooting.
Mercer's death was widely reported in the media: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/02/us/oregon-shooting-umpqua-community-college.html
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Lukas Knight
From: Mcguinn, Lauren S. (RMD) (FBI)
Dear Mr. Knight,
Before the FBI can process your Freedom of Information Act/Privacy (FOIPA) request you must provide the following information highlighted with an “X” Mark.
_____A current and complete mailing address is required as the FBI does not send releases and/or correspondence by electronic means. (Unless the request has already been submitted through eFOIA.)
_____Proof of death is required such as: (death certificate, obituary, written media, recognized source that can be documented, Who’s Who in America, FBI file that indicates subject is deceased, or the Social Security Death Index Page). Proof of death is not required if date of birth is 100 years ago or greater but a date of birth is needed
_X__A website link in itself does not satisfy the proof of death requirement (Please provide the actual documentation and source)
_____The FBI does not accept electronic signatures. The signature must be original and legible. A scanned version is acceptable.
_____The U. S. Department of Justice DOJ-361 Form<http://www.fbi.gov/foia/u.s.-department-of-justice-form-361-certification-of-identity> (Certification of Identity) requires an original and legible signature
_____The U. S. Department of Justice DOJ-361 Form<http://www.fbi.gov/foia/u.s.-department-of-justice-form-361-certification-of-identity> (Certification of Identity) and/or privacy waiver is not legible, properly sized or cannot be accessed in the submitted format. Please send the attachment or attachments independently in either a Word Document or PDF. The documents must be compatible with Microsoft Office 2007 products.
_____Other information as stated:
_____The attachments cannot be opened in the present format. Please resend either as a pdf or a Word Document.
Please complete and submit the required information in order for the FBI to process your request.
Information regarding the Freedom of Information Act/Privacy is available at http://www.fbi.gov/ or http://www.fbi.gov/foia/. If you require additional assistance please contact me.
Thank you,
Lauren McGuinn
Public Liaison/GIS
Record/Information Dissemination Section (RIDS)
FBI-Records Management Division
170 Marcel Drive, Winchester, VA 22602-4843
PIO: (540) 868-4593
Direct: (540) 868-4286
Fax: (540) 868-4391/4997
E-mail: foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov<mailto:foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov>
Questions E-mail: foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov<mailto:foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov>
Do you have further questions about the FOI/PA process? Visit us at http://www.fbi.gov/foia
Please check the status of your request online at http://www.fbi.gov/foia by clicking on the CHECK STATUS OF YOUR FOI/PA REQUEST under the FOIA INDEX located on the right side of the page. Status updates are performed on a weekly basis.
-
~WRD000
From: Lukas Knight
CNN has reported that the Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin and the Douglas Country medical examiner have ruled Harper-Mercer's death a suicide as of Saturday 3 October.
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
An interim response, stating the request is being processed.
From: Lukas Knight
Thanks for following up with my request; however, I would like to appeal the decision to classify this request as a general one in relation to fees.
Per FOIA [5 USC § 552(a)(4)(A)(ii)(II)]:
"Documents shall be furnished without any charge or at a charge reduced below the fees established under clause (ii) if disclosure of the information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester."
Given that I am a member of the news media (MuckRock) and that the information in question relates to a matter of public concern (i.e. the school shooting at Umpqua Community College), I feel that it would not be inappropriate to assess the fees as a request from the news media.
From: Mcguinn, Lauren S. (RMD) (FBI)
Dear Mr. Knight,
If you are not satisfied with the results of your request you may file an appeal with the Office of Information Policy (OIP), United States Department of Justice. Please follow the instructions below when submitting your appeal to OIP.
Please note: Do not submit your appeal to the FBI.
Appeals should be directed in writing to the following:
Director,
Office of Information Policy (OIP)
U. S. Department of Justice
1425 New York Avenue, N. W., Suite 11050
Washington, D, C. 20530-0001.
Your appeal must be received by OIP within sixty (60) days from the date of your letter in order to be considered timely. The envelope and the letter should be clearly marked, “Freedom of Information Appeal.” Please cite the FOIPA Request Number assigned to your request so that it may be indentified easily.
OIP’s Customer Service Number is #202-514-3642.
Thank you,
Lauren McGuinn
Public Liaison/GIS
Record/Information Dissemination Section (RIDS)
FBI-Records Management Division
170 Marcel Drive, Winchester, VA 22602-4843
PIO: (540) 868-4593
Direct: (540) 868-4286
Fax: (540) 868-4391/4997
E-mail: foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov<mailto:foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov>
Questions E-mail: foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov<mailto:foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov>
Do you have further questions about the FOI/PA process? Visit us at http://www.fbi.gov/foia
Please check the status of your request online at http://www.fbi.gov/foia by clicking on the CHECK STATUS OF YOUR FOI/PA REQUEST under the FOIA INDEX located on the right side of the page. Status updates are performed on a weekly basis.
-
~WRD000
From: Lukas Knight
I do intend to appeal the misclassification of my request as one of a general rather than news-related nature, but I am hoping to do so in the most expedient way possible. I am requesting on behalf of a MuckRock, a well established journalistic publication with a focus on FOIA related information, and I have submitted similar requests to the FBI in a similar time frame which have been granted media status and consideration for fee exemption.
Thank you greatly for your time.
From: Mcguinn, Lauren S. (RMD) (FBI)
Dear Mr. Knight,
The FBI has received your additional correspondence regarding your Freedom of Information Act/Privacy (FOIPA) request and it has been forwarded to the assigned analyst for review. If appropriate, a response will be forthcoming.
Additional information regarding the FOIPA may be accessed at http://www.fbi.gov/ or http://www.fbi.gov/foia/.
If you require additional assistance please contact me.
Thank you,
Lauren McGuinn
Public Liaison/GIS
Record/Information Dissemination Section (RIDS)
FBI-Records Management Division
170 Marcel Drive, Winchester, VA 22602-4843
PIO: (540) 868-4593
Direct: (540) 868-4286
Fax: (540) 868-4391/4997
E-mail: foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov<mailto:foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov>
Questions E-mail: foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov<mailto:foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov>
Do you have further questions about the FOI/PA process? Visit us at http://www.fbi.gov/foia
Please check the status of your request online at http://www.fbi.gov/foia by clicking on the CHECK STATUS OF YOUR FOI/PA REQUEST under the FOIA INDEX located on the right side of the page. Status updates are performed on a weekly basis.
-
~WRD000
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
The request has been rejected, with the agency stating that the information or document(s) requested are exempt from disclosure.
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