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Two young children in kindergarten were taken to hospitals in stable condition after being shot by a gunman at their rural school in Northern California. The suspect, who has a criminal and mental health history, is 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 going to the bathroom during lunchtime on Wednesday, just a quick trip before returning to their classroom at Feather River Adventist School.
Instead, shortly after that, they were shot and seriously injured by a shooter.
The two boys, Roman Mendez, aged 6, and Elias Wolford, aged 5, were quickly taken from their school near Oroville, California. One was transported by ambulance and the other by helicopter, both being sent to hospitals urgently.
Vanessa Diaz expressed her distress over the situation, stating that it is heartbreaking to see her brother Roman in the intensive care unit, where he is still unconscious.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday that the boys are now in "critical but stable" condition, bringing a sense of hope to the rural community located about 60 miles north of Sacramento. This community has experienced a lot of hardship in recent years, but residents are coming together to support the victims and their families through fundraisers, vigils, and financial assistance, just like they have in the past in this agricultural area.
In the past, residents 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 approximately 20 miles away. Additionally, just a year before this fire, residents in Oroville had to quickly gather their belongings and evacuate the town due to concerns that the Oroville Dam could potentially burst.
During the shooting on Wednesday, investigators think that the shooter, named Glenn Litton, 56, chose to attack the parochial school because it was associated with the Seventh-day Adventists, a type of Protestant Christianity. Litton later took his own life.
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