Two children, ages 5 and 6, are in “extremely critical condition” following a school shooting in Oroville Wednesday.
The shooting occurred just before 1 p.m. at the private Feather River Adventist School near Palermo. When Butte County sheriff’s deputies arrived, they found the two injured students as well as the suspected gunman, who was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to Sheriff Kory Honea, the suspect had told school staff that he was considering enrolling his child. He was allowed on campus to meet with the principal.
“Shortly after concluding that meeting, the principal heard shots being fired, heard screams, and that's when they determined or found that the two students had been shot," Honea said.
Authorities don’t believe the suspect had any affiliation with the school. However, they're considering that he may have targeted the campus because of its connection to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
Update:
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office has identified the gunman as 56-year-old Glenn Litton. Sheriff Honea said the man was mentally ill and believed he was taking “counter-measures” to thwart America’s involvement in conflicts in the Middle East. He used a ghost gun to commit the crime.
The two boys “have a very long road ahead of them, in terms of recovery,” said Honea. Read more from the Associated Press.