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Community Support and Resilience: Kindergartners ‘Critical but Stable’ After California School Shooting

In Citizen
January 19, 2025

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Two young children in kindergarten were taken to hospitals in Northern California after being shot by a gunman at their rural school. The authorities reported that the suspect had a criminal record and a history of mental health issues. The children are currently in ‘critical but stable’ condition.

Written by Soumya Karlamangla and Orlando Mayorquín

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

During lunch on Wednesday, two kindergarten students from Feather River Adventist School were walking to the restroom. It was just a quick trip before they had to return to class.

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

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

Vanessa Diaz expressed her dismay at the situation, as she has been by her brother Roman’s side in the intensive care unit, where he is still unconscious. She described the experience as heartbreaking.

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

In the past, people living in this area experienced the devastating Camp fire that resulted in the loss of 85 lives and the destruction of Paradise, located approximately 20 miles away. Additionally, just a year before the fire, residents of Oroville had to quickly pack their belongings and evacuate the town due to fears of the Oroville Dam potentially bursting.

During the shooting that occurred on Wednesday, law enforcement officials suspect that the shooter, Glenn Litton, 56, specifically chose to target the parochial school due to its connection with the Seventh-day Adventists, a branch of Protestant Christianity. Litton ultimately took his own life after the incident.

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