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Two young children were taken to hospitals in stable condition after being shot at their rural school in Northern California. The suspect, who has a criminal record and mental health issues, was responsible for the shooting.
Written by Soumya Karlamangla and Orlando Mayorquín
Soumya Karlamangla provided coverage from San Francisco, while Orlando Mayorquín reported from Oroville, California.
Two young students in kindergarten were walking to the bathroom during lunchtime on Wednesday at Feather River Adventist School. It was just a quick trip before they returned to their classroom.
Instead, shortly after, they were shot and suffered severe injuries from a shooter.
Two young boys named Roman Mendez, age 6, and Elias Wolford, age 5, were quickly taken from their small school near Oroville, California. One was transported by ambulance and the other by helicopter to hospitals in a rush, with no time to waste.
Vanessa Diaz expressed her distress over the situation, as her brother Roman is currently in the intensive care unit and is unconscious. She described the situation as heartbreaking.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday that the boys were now in "critical but stable" condition, bringing some hope to the rural community located about 60 miles north of Sacramento. This community has faced a lot of hardships in recent years, so residents were quick to come together to organize fundraisers, hold vigils, and gather money to help the victims and their families, as they have done before in this agricultural area.
Residents in this area experienced a devastating wildfire called the Camp fire six years ago, resulting in the loss of 85 lives and the destruction of the town of Paradise, located around 20 miles away. Additionally, a year before this fire, residents in Oroville had to quickly evacuate their homes due to fear that the nearby Oroville Dam would collapse.
During the shooting on Wednesday, it is believed by authorities that the shooter, Glenn Litton, 56, specifically chose to target the parochial school due to its connection with the Seventh-day Adventists, a Protestant Christian group. He ultimately took his own life.
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