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Community Support and Resilience in the Aftermath of a Tragic School Shooting

In Citizen
January 18, 2025

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Two young children in kindergarten are in stable condition after being shot at their school in Northern California. The shooter, who has a criminal record and mental health issues, targeted the boys on the rural campus. Both victims were quickly 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 students in kindergarten were walking to the bathroom during lunchtime on Wednesday at Feather River Adventist School. They were just taking a quick trip before returning to their classroom.

Instead, shortly after that, they were injured by gunfire from a shooter.

Two young boys, Roman Mendez, who is 6 years old, and Elias Wolford, who is 5 years old, were quickly taken from their school near Oroville, California. One was transported by ambulance and the other by helicopter, both being rushed to hospitals urgently.

Vanessa Diaz expressed her feelings about the situation, mentioning how difficult it is to see her brother Roman in the intensive care unit, where he is still unconscious. She described the experience as heartbreaking.

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday that the boys had made progress and were now in "critical but stable" condition. This update brought hope to the rural community located 60 miles north of Sacramento, which has experienced a lot of tragedy in recent years. Residents were coming together to plan fundraisers, hold vigils, and raise money to help the victims and their families, just like they had done in the past in this farming area.

Residents in this area experienced 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 prior to the fire, residents in Oroville had to quickly evacuate due to concerns about the Oroville Dam potentially bursting.

During the shooting incident on Wednesday, authorities suspect that the shooter, identified as 56-year-old Glenn Litton, specifically chose to target the parochial school due to its connection with the Seventh-day Adventists, a Protestant Christian group. Litton later took his own life.

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