2 kindergarteners wounded in Northern California school shooting remain in critical condition after surgery
PALERMO – The two kindergarten students who were wounded in a school shooting in the Northern California community of Palermo remain in critical condition after a successful surgery on Friday, the Butte County Sheriff's Office said.
The students were identified as 6-year-old Roman Mendez, who suffered two gunshot wounds that resulted in internal injuries, and 5-year-old Elias Wolford, who was shot in the stomach and suffered internal injuries, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said.
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 shot were taken to a Sacramento-area hospital in "extremely critical condition" on Wednesday, Honea said. On Thursday, the sheriff's office said in an update that the boys were in "critical but stable" condition.
The boys had a successful surgery on Friday, but remain in critical condition, deputies said.
"I am thankful that they are still alive but they have a long road ahead of them," Honea said.
Oroville Mayor David Pittman said in a statement that "the entire staff, students, and families have also been emotionally traumatized after this incident."
"Sadly, our schools must plan and train for these kinds of events and pray they never occur," he said. "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.
A sixth-grade student told CBS News Sacramento that she helped her teacher comfort younger students as the gunman was outside the classroom.
What we know about the suspect
Sheriff's deputies have said they don't believe there is any connection between the suspect and the victims.
Honea said that Litton was dropped off at the school by an Uber driver. Investigators interviewed the driver and said Litton took the Uber from the Oroville area to the school.
Litton allegedly called the school a few days before to schedule an appointment with an administrator on Wednesday. Litton showed up at that appointment trying to enroll his grandson who did not exist, Honea said.
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 and told them to be vigilant in monitoring Seventh-Day Adventist schools as it appears the school may have been targeted due to its affiliation.
Honea said on Thursday that Litton had a lengthy criminal history, dating back to the 1990s. He was also arrested in the Bay Area after he was found in a stolen U-Haul pickup truck with false identification, Honea said.
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, where they were reunited with their families.
The school serves about 35 students from kindergarten to eighth grade. Honea said there was not a security officer stationed at the school as that's not part of the everyday routine.
The FBI responded to help the Butte County Sheriff's Office with the investigation. Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said it and other state agencies are also helping local officials.
Palermo is a town with a population of over 5,000 people just south of Oroville. It's about 30 miles south of Chico and 65 miles north of Sacramento.
