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Community Rallies Together After Kindergartners Injured in California School Shooting

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 the hospital after being shot by a gunman on their school campus. The suspect, who has a history of criminal activity and mental health issues, is currently in custody.

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 restroom during lunch on Wednesday at Feather River Adventist School, as a quick break before returning to their classroom.

Instead, shortly after that, they were shot and severely injured by a shooter.

Two young boys, Roman Mendez, aged 6, and Elias Wolford, aged 5, were quickly taken from their small school near Oroville, California. One was transported by ambulance and the other by helicopter, both urgently being taken to hospitals without delay.

Vanessa Diaz expressed her distress over the situation, stating that it is very upsetting to see her brother Roman in the intensive care unit unconscious. She described the experience as heartbreaking.

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday that the boys have shown improvement and are now in "critical but stable" condition, bringing a sense of hope to the rural community located around 60 miles north of Sacramento. This community has faced a lot of tragedy in recent years, but residents are coming together to organize fundraisers, vigils, and provide support to the victims and their families, as they have done before in this agricultural area.

Residents in this area experienced the devastating Camp fire six years ago, which resulted in the death of 85 people and the destruction of Paradise, a town located approximately 20 miles away. Additionally, a year before this fire, the residents of Oroville had to quickly evacuate their homes due to the fear of the nearby Oroville Dam potentially collapsing.

During the shooting on Wednesday, investigators think that the shooter, named Glenn Litton, targeted the parochial school because it was associated with the Seventh-day Adventists, a type of Protestant Christian group. Litton later took his own life.

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