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Community Support and Resilience: Kindergartners’ Survival After Tragic School Shooting in California

In Citizen
January 18, 2025

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Two young children in kindergarten are in ‘critical but stable’ condition after being shot at their rural school in Northern California. The gunman, who has a history of criminal activity and mental health issues, has been apprehended by authorities.

Written by Soumya Karlamangla and Orlando Mayorquín

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

Two young students from kindergarten were walking to the bathroom during lunchtime on Wednesday at Feather River Adventist School. It was meant to be a quick trip before returning to their classroom.

Shortly after, they were shot and seriously injured by a shooter instead.

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

Vanessa Diaz expressed her distress over the situation, sharing that it has been difficult for her to see her brother Roman in the intensive care unit where he is unresponsive. She described the experience as heartbreaking.

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday that the boys are now in a "critical but stable" condition, providing some hope to the community located about 60 miles north of Sacramento. This rural area has experienced a lot of sadness in recent years, but residents are coming together to organize fundraisers, hold vigils, and raise money to help support the victims and their families, just as they have done in the past in this agricultural region.

Residents in this area experienced the devastating Camp fire six years ago, resulting in the loss of 85 lives and the destruction of Paradise, a town located approximately 20 miles away. Additionally, a year prior to the fire, residents of Oroville had to quickly evacuate their homes due to concerns that the Oroville Dam was at risk of bursting.

During the shooting on Wednesday, it is believed by the authorities that the shooter, Glenn Litton, 56, specifically chose to target the parochial school because of its connection to the Seventh-day Adventists, a Protestant Christian group. Litton ultimately took his own life following the incident.

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