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Community Support Rallies for Kindergartners Injured in California School Shooting

In Citizen
January 19, 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 history of criminal activity 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 children in kindergarten were walking to the bathroom during lunch on a Wednesday at Feather River Adventist School. This was just a quick trip before they returned to class.

Instead, not long after that, they were shot and suffered serious injuries from a gunman.

Two young boys named 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 distress at her brother Roman’s condition in the ICU, where he is still unconscious. She described the situation as heartbreaking.

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday that the boys are 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 sadness in recent years. Residents are coming together to organize fundraisers, hold vigils, and raise money to support the victims and their families, just as they have done in the past 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 Paradise, a town located approximately 20 miles away. Just a year prior to this fire, residents in Oroville had to quickly pack their belongings into their vehicles and evacuate due to fears of the Oroville Dam potentially bursting.

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

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