2 kindergarteners wounded in Northern California school shooting and gunman identified, sheriff says
PALERMO – Two kindergarten students who were wounded in a school shooting in the Northern California community of Palermo have been identified along with a suspect, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Thursday.
Six-year-old Roman Mendez suffered two gunshot wounds that resulted in internal injuries and 5-year-old Elias Wolford was shot in the stomach and suffered internal injuries, Honea said. The boys remain in critical condition.
The suspect in the Wednesday afternoon shooting at the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists was identified by the sheriff as 56-year-old Glenn Litton. Litton had a lengthy criminal history and attended another Adventist school as a child in the nearby town of Paradise, Honea said.
Litton was found by a California Highway Patrol officer Wednesday with a self-inflicted gunshot wound; a handgun was next to the suspect. The Butte County sheriff's office confirmed that the suspected shooter had died.
Latest condition of students
The two kindergarten students who were shot were taken Wednesday to a Sacramento-area hospital and were in "extremely critical condition," Honea said.
"I am thankful that they are still alive but they have a long road ahead of them," Honea said.
On Thursday, the sheriff's office gave an update on the students' conditions, saying they were now in "critical but stable" condition. The two students are continuing to be treated at a local hospital.
A sixth-grade student said she helped her teacher comfort younger students as the gunman was outside the classroom.
"The entire staff, students, and families have also been emotionally traumatized after this incident," said Oroville mayor David Pittman in a statement. "Sadly, our schools must plan and train for these kinds of events and pray they never occur. Our schools must be safe places."
The Butte County Office of Education offered to provide crisis response staff to work with local school administrators to help reopen the school.
What we know about the suspect
The suspect has been positively identified, the Butte County Sheriff's Office says, but his name has not been released. Deputies have said they don't believe there is any connection between the suspect and the victims.
Honea said the suspect was dropped off at the school by an Uber driver. Investigators are interviewing the driver to learn more about what led up to the suspect being dropped off at the school.
Honea also added that investigators are looking into a "story" that the suspect called a few days ago to schedule an appointment at the school with an administrator on Wednesday. The reports indicate the suspect then showed up trying to enroll a child but deputies don't believe a child was with him.
After the meeting with the administrator on Wednesday, gunshots were heard, Honea said.
The shooting appears to be isolated to the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists, but Honea said he provided other law enforcement agencies in California with information to be vigilant when it comes to Seventh-Day Adventist schools as it appears the school may have been targeted due to its affiliation.
The students were taken to the gymnasium until authorities could bring school buses to the scene. They were then taken to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene at 2238 Monte Vista Avenue where they were reunited with their families.
The school serves about 35 students from kindergarten to eighth grade and Honea said there was not a security officer stationed at the school as that's not part of the everyday routine.
Due to the investigation, the CHP had shut down Highway 70 for several hours.
The FBI has responded to help the Butte County Sheriff's Office with the investigation. Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said it and other state agencies are helping local officials.
Palermo is a town with a population of over 5,000 people just south of Oroville. It's also about 30 miles south of Chico and 65 miles north of Sacramento.