The man suspected of shooting two kindergarteners at a California school before turning the gun on himself believed the religion it leads is responsible for Israel’s war against Hamas and U.S. attacks in Yemen.
Glenn Litton, 56, has been identified as the gunman who walked onto the campus of the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists claiming to be at a meeting about a child’s enrollment before opening fire.
Honea then claimed that Litton was politically motivated, because they have evidence – a typed note on his body – showing that Litton believed the Seventh-day Adventists were responsible for “genocide” and “oppression” of the Palestinian people, as well as American attacks in the Palestinian territory. Yemen.
Litton – an alumnus of Paradise Adventist School as a child – has a “long criminal history and mental health issues,” including convictions for theft, fraud and forgery.
The two victims – identified as 6-year-old Roman Mendez and 5-year-old Elias Wolfhard – are currently in critical but stable condition, according to Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea.
Crowdfunding pages have been started for both the victims and their families.
A Gofundme for Wolfhard says the gunman’s bullets “passed through his chest and abdomen, puncturing and nicking multiple organs before exiting.”
Wolfhard was the victim who had to be airlifted to a local hospital and is currently on a ventilator awaiting surgery.
Glenn Litton, 56, has been identified as the gunman who walked onto the campus of the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists claiming to be at a meeting about a child’s enrollment before opening fire
The two victims – identified as 6-year-old Roman Mendez (pictured right) and 5-year-old Elias Wolfhard (pictured left) – are currently in critical but stable condition, according to Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea
A GiveSendGo page for Mendez does not indicate the boy’s injuries, other than to say he is in “critical condition.”
The shooting happened shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday at the private Christian school with fewer than three dozen students in Palermo, home to about 5,500 people and about 65 miles (105 kilometers) north of Sacramento.
Honea said the shooter was in discussions with an administrator about enrolling a child at the school, which he described as “cordial.”
But it appears this was his first visit to the school and he did not know the victims. Shortly afterwards, shots rang out and people started screaming, Honea said.
The gunman’s body was found near the slide and other playground equipment on the school’s property, which borders ranchland where cattle graze.
A gun was found nearby, said Honea, who added that they tried to contact the gunman’s family before releasing his name.
Laurie Trujillo, a spokesperson for the Northern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, said in a statement that they were “deeply saddened by the events that occurred today at our Feather River school.”
She added that they are grateful to the sheriff’s office for acting quickly to protect the students.
The man suspected of shooting two kindergarteners at a California school before turning the gun on himself believed the religion it leads is responsible for Israel’s war against Hamas and U.S. attacks in Yemen.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Christian denomination in which members view the Bible as their only creed and believe that the Second Coming of Christ is near.
According to its website, Feather River School has been open since 1965.
The private primary school was locked down on Wednesday afternoon.
After the shooting, authorities initially took the students to a gymnasium where they remained until a bus arrived to take them off the grounds and to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene to be reunited with their families, Honea said.
Travis Marshall, the senior pastor of Oroville Church of the Nazarene, called the reunion between parents and their children “very moving.”
“Some of the kids were incredibly emotional,” he said. “A woman lifted up her hands and praised the Lord” when she found her child.
Sixth grader Jocelyn Orlando described what happened CBS News Sacramento.
“We went to lunch and almost everyone in my class heard shooting and most people were screaming,” she said.
“We all went into the office, we closed the curtains, locked the doors, basically did what we would do in a school shooting, and then one of the teachers came and we all ran into the gym.”
MP James Gallagher, whose area includes Palermo, said his “heart breaks for everyone affected by this tragedy.”
“As a community, we will all hug our loved ones tighter today as we pray for the victims and try to make something senseless,” he said in a statement.
Honea added that the FBI is assisting in the investigation.
The school advertises itself as providing ‘spiritually oriented education for children’.
Honea noted that this is a rural area with very few people in the building and they do their best to take care of everyone.
“I hope people can realize how hard this is on the students of the school, the faculty of the school, the members of this community, all the first responders.”
“We are doing everything we can to determine what happened and ensure everyone is safe.”
California Highway Patrol closed State Route 70 to northbound traffic near the school, diverting traffic westbound, and another southbound road was closed for about an hour.
This is a breaking news story.