Ten people have been killed and seven injured in a mass shooting at a community college in the US state of Oregon.

The 26-year-old gunman opened fire at Umpqua Community College on Thursday morning, shooting 16 people before being fatally shot by police.

The gunman’s motive is unknown, although he reportedly made a number of threats on social media before carrying out the shooting.

Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said he will not confirm the attacker’s name in an effort to avoid giving him the morbid celebrity status he was “he probably sought prior to this horrific and cowardly act”.

The gunman was allegedly born in the UK before moving to the US as a young child.

In response to the attack, the latest in a regular series of mass shootings in the US over recent years, a visibly frustrated and depressed President Barack Obama once again demanded tougher gun safety laws.