Prom
Backed by
Two young students in kindergarten are in a ‘critical but stable’ condition after being shot by a gunman at their rural school in Northern California. The suspect, who has a criminal history and mental health issues, was responsible for the shooting incident.
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, on what was meant to be a quick trip before returning to their classroom.
Instead, not long after, they were shot and severely injured by a person with a gun.
Two young boys named 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 rushed to hospitals urgently.
Vanessa Diaz expressed her sadness over the situation, mentioning that it is difficult 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 reported on Thursday that the boys are now in a "critical but stable" condition, providing some optimism to the rural community located 60 miles north of Sacramento. This community has faced significant challenges in recent years, and residents are already coming together to organize fundraisers, vigils, and gather financial support for the victims and their families, as they have done in the past in this agricultural area.
In the past six years, the people living in this area experienced the devastating Camp fire, resulting in the loss of 85 lives and the destruction of the town of Paradise, located approximately 20 miles away. Additionally, a year before the fire, residents of Oroville had to quickly pack their belongings and evacuate the town due to the fear of the Oroville Dam potentially bursting.
During the shooting on Wednesday, it is believed by authorities that the gunman, a 56-year-old man named Glenn Litton, specifically chose to target the parochial school due to its connection with the Seventh-day Adventists, a Protestant Christian group. After the shooting, Litton took his own life.
We are currently experiencing difficulties in accessing the content of the article.
To use this website, make sure to activate JavaScript in your
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm your access. If you are currently in Reader mode, please close out and sign in to your Times account, or consider subscribing for unlimited access to The Times.
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm access.
Have you already signed up for a subscription? Please log in
Interested in accessing all of the articles from The Times? Subscribe today
Prom
Index of the website
Navigation information for the website