California kindergarteners wounded in school shooting now stable, community rallies in support with chili
OROVILLE — The Butte County community is coming together to raise money for the families of two kindergartners who were wounded in a school shooting last week.
A chili fundraiser was set for Monday night at the Southside Oroville Community Center on Lower Wyandotte Road.
The Butte County community is no stranger to tragedy, but this one is different.
"A manmade evil attack like this is something I thought was very important for us to rise up and answer just like we have answered in the past to the natural disasters," said Oroville City Councilman Shawn Weber.
Weber is organizing the fundraiser alongside people in the community like Pastor Kevin Thompson, who is the director of the community center.
"Even in something as tragic as this, everything is perfect for God's purpose," Thompson said.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said that Roman Mendez, 6, who suffered two gunshot wounds, and Elias Wolford, 5, who was shot in the stomach, are both now stable in the hospital.
"Violence was visited upon us in a split second," Sheriff Honea said. "They want to provide love and support equally as fast."
Donations for the fundraiser poured in on Monday afternoon in Oroville, including from Kimberlee Wheeler who brought chili toppings and cupcakes. She is a local children's librarian.
"While I didn't know them personally, I feel like in a way that I do and I just want to make sure they feel the love as well," said Wheeler.
Investigators said 56-year-old Glenn Linton came onto the Feather River Adventist School campus last Wednesday, started shooting and then turned the gun on himself.
"It appears to me that the individual responsible for this really intended to strike fear in the hearts of the parents, and in that regard, I think that's the essence of a terrorist attack," said Sheriff Kory Honea.
Honea said Linton met with school administrators about trying to enroll his non-existent grandson just minutes before he carried out the violence.
"There wasn't a 100% guarantee of safety before this and there isn't going to be a 100% guarantee of safety going after this because that's the world we live in," said Sheriff Honea.
The sheriff said he is already speaking with other Seventh-Day Adventist schools in the area about what processes and safety procedures need to change on all school campuses. He plans to meet with all Butte County school leaders next week to discuss how they can find that balance of being open to the community but also safe.
At this point, Sheriff Honea said investigators have not uncovered any credible facts that anyone knew about this plan beforehand or if this attack was affiliated with a larger group's agenda like investigators said the gunman suggested. They also still don't know how the convicted felon got the gun to begin with.
"Not only were those boys wounded, but their classmates were wounded, and the community was wounded," said Weber.
Loved ones told CBS13 that loved ones said that the boys are both in stable condition, but their childhoods are forever shattered.
"I am inspired by the way our community comes together in times of need," said Wheeler.
"It's a miracle that he survived, a little 5-year-old gets shot with a nine-millimeter and survived," said Tawnee Preisner, who is Elias's aunt. "It's a miracle."
CBS News spoke with Preisner after the tragedy.
I spoke with her over the phone Monday, and she said one of the first questions Roman asked when he woke up from his surgeries was if Elias was OK.
"Isn't that a testament to the human spirit of who we are at the core and what we should be like? We should take a lesson from that little boy," Weber said.
Elias and Roman are survivors of an unthinkable attack that this resilient Butte County community hopes to heal from.