Tight Oroville community rallies behind school shooting victims
OROVILLE – Two kindergarteners are in critical but stable condition after being shot at school in the Palermo area on Wednesday. Now the community of Oroville is rallying behind them.
"We take em' to school to learn, we don't take em' to school to get shot," said Oroville resident Marie Rankin.
Two children remain in the hospital after a lone gunman opened fire at Feather River Adventist School before turning the gun on himself.
"When you see this on the news or nationally oh those things don't happen here. Well, yesterday it happened here. It's devastating and it's rocked our community," said Oroville councilmember Shawn Webber.
"I got my grandkids going to elementary school. Do I need to pull them out of school and homeschool them? Those are the thoughts," said Rankin.
Thoughts no one should have to have. Parents showed up in a panic at the Church of the Nazarene after learning of the school shooting. The church was serving as a reunification center.
"It was a very heavy couple of hours. Parents were showing up not knowing exactly the whereabouts or condition of their children. Having kids myself I can't even begin to imagine what they're going through but we just offered our presence," said Senior Pastor Travis Marshall.
"At that point, I didn't know how bad the incident was. We're a small and tight-knit community so we all know each other. So this isn't 20 degrees of separation, this is right here in our backyard. These are our people, these are our children," said councilmember Webber.
The Church of the Nazarene serves as a safe place to go, offering counseling. It's the first example of support and good-faith gestures from the community.
"I've seen things from gas cards to blankets to cash donations and food. I've seen every kind of suggestion you can. So the effort today is how do we bring all this together? How do we aim them and fire them in the direction we need to?" said Webber.
Webber says a fundraiser is already being organized by the mayor and other city officials. Oroville is facing yet another tragedy after the area saw devastating natural disasters.
"When you have evil invade your community like it did yesterday, the answer is to push back with love and healing. It's an opportunity in the face of tragedy to show them how Oroville overcomes and triumphs. That's who we ultimately are, people who triumph in the face of tragedy," he said.
"The love of our common humanity really came to shine in a roundabout way. It was really hopeful so I want to offer that hope in a world right now, where there's not much, there is hope," said Pastor Marshall.
The sheriff says the two young boys will most likely have to undergo several extensive surgeries and have a long road ahead.
There will be a candlelight prayer on Friday starting at 5:15 p.m. in downtown Oroville near the Christmas tree.
