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Community Rallies Together After Kindergartners Injured in California School Shooting

In Citizen
January 19, 2025

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Two young children in kindergarten were taken to hospitals after being shot by a gunman at their rural school in Northern California. Officials reported that the suspect had a criminal record and mental health issues.

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 the Feather River Adventist School. It was meant to be a quick trip before returning to their classroom.

Shortly after, instead of what was expected, they were shot and severely injured by someone with a gun.

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

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 currently unconscious.

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday that the boys had shown signs of improvement and were now in "critical but stable" condition. This brought hope to the rural community located 60 miles north of Sacramento, which has faced its fair share of challenges in recent years. Residents were coming together to organize fundraisers, hold vigils, and gather money to help support the victims and their families, as they had done before in this agricultural area.

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

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

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