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Community Rallies Together After California School Shooting: Kindergartners in ‘Critical but Stable’ Condition

In Citizen
January 18, 2025

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Two young children in kindergarten were injured in a school shooting in Northern California and are currently in stable condition. They were taken to hospitals for treatment after being shot by a gunman on their rural school campus. The authorities reported that the suspect has a criminal record and a history of mental illness.

Written by Soumya Karlamangla and Orlando Mayorquín

Soumya Karlamangla provided coverage from San Francisco, while Orlando Mayorquín reported from Oroville, California.

Two young children in kindergarten were walking to the bathroom during lunchtime on Wednesday, for a quick trip before returning to their classroom at Feather River Adventist School.

Afterwards, not long after, they were shot and severely injured by someone with a gun.

Two young boys named Roman Mendez and Elias Wolford were quickly taken from their small school near Oroville, California. One was taken by ambulance and the other by helicopter, both being rushed to hospitals with urgency.

Vanessa Diaz expressed her sadness over her brother Roman’s condition in the intensive care unit, where he is still 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 tragedy in recent years, but residents are already coming together to organize fundraisers, hold vigils, and raise money to support the victims and their families, like they have done in the past in this agricultural region.

In the past, people living in this area experienced the devastating Camp fire, which resulted 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 of Oroville had to quickly pack their belongings and evacuate the town due to fears of the Oroville Dam potentially overflowing.

During the shooting on Wednesday, it is believed by authorities that the gunman was Glenn Litton, aged 56, who specifically targeted the parochial school due to its connection with the Seventh-day Adventists, a Protestant Christian group. He later committed suicide.

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