Prom
Backed by
Two young children in kindergarten were seriously injured in a school shooting in Northern California. The shooter, who has a criminal record and mental health issues, targeted the boys on their rural school campus. Both victims are in stable condition after being taken to hospitals for treatment.
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 at Feather River Adventist School. It was meant to be a quick stop before returning to class.
Shortly after, they were shot and severely injured by someone with a gun.
Two young boys named Roman Mendez, aged 6, and Elias Wolford, aged 5, were quickly taken from their school in a small town near Oroville, California. One was transported by ambulance and the other by helicopter, both being urgently taken to hospitals without delay.
Vanessa Diaz expressed her distress over the situation, as she visits her brother Roman in the ICU where he is still unconscious. She described the experience as heartbreaking.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday that the boys’ condition had improved to "critical but stable", bringing some hope to the rural community located about 60 miles north of Sacramento. This community has faced a lot of sadness in recent years. Residents have been coming together to organize fundraisers, hold vigils, and raise money to help the victims and their families, just as they have done in the past in this agricultural area.
Residents in this area experienced a devastating wildfire known as the Camp fire six years ago, resulting in the loss of 85 lives and the destruction of the town of Paradise located about 20 miles away. Additionally, a year prior to this fire, residents of Oroville had to quickly evacuate their homes due to fears of the Oroville Dam potentially overflowing.
During the shooting on Wednesday, authorities suspect that the shooter, who was named Glenn Litton and was 56 years old, specifically chose to target the parochial school because it was associated with the Seventh-day Adventists, a Protestant Christian group. Litton ultimately took his own life after the incident.
We are experiencing difficulties in accessing the content of the article.
Make sure to activate JavaScript in the settings of your web browser
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm your access. If you are currently in Reader mode, please exit and sign in to your Times account, or consider subscribing to access all of The Times’ content.
We appreciate your patience as we confirm your access.
Are you currently a member? Please sign in.
Interested in receiving all of The Times’ content? Simply subscribe to
Prom
Index of the website
Navigation for site information