According to the Butte County sheriff, authorities are looking into whether the gunman targeted the California Seventh-Day Adventist school where two young children were shot on Wednesday because of its involvement with a particular denomination.
Following a meeting with the principal regarding the enrollment of a student, the gunman opened fire on the campus of the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists near Palermo at approximately 1 p.m., according to Sheriff Kory L. Honea.
The principal discovered that the pupils had been shot shortly after the meeting ended, according to Honea, after hearing gunfire and screams.
According to him, the two pupils, who were boys of five and six years old, were taken to hospitals on Wednesday night and were receiving treatment there.
According to Honea, the gunman had died when deputies arrived, most likely from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to Honea, investigators were trying to find a next of kin on Wednesday night, but they already knew who the shooter was.
“We re working to delve into this individual s background to figure out what prompted him to do this,” Honea stated. “We have received some information that he may have targeted this school because of its affiliation with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.”
Honea warned that the probe was still in its very early stages.
Until authorities arranged buses to bring the other schoolchildren back to their parents at a church in Oroville, they were confined in a gymnasium.
Sixth grader Joselyn informed Sacramento’s NBC affiliate KCRA that she heard the gunfire.
I also witnessed the shooter striding back and forth across a window. She then informed the station that we were rushing to the gym. When I noticed a shadow with a gun behind me, I ordered most people to flee even faster.
According to Honea, the shooter had no known affiliation with the school or the children who were shot.
Although the sheriff’s office stated that it was alerting other law enforcement agencies just out of caution, the incident is thought to have been limited to that specific school.
Additionally, investigators have information that suggests a gray four-door vehicle driver, presumably from a ride-sharing service, dropped the gunman off at the school, according to Honea.
Authorities are trying to learn more about the vehicle and its driver. Officials are unsure of its subsequent path, according to Honea, but it was last spotted heading off campus toward Highway 70.
According to Honea, there are roughly 35 pupils enrolled in the K–8 Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists.
The school is located about 60 miles north of Sacramento in Butte County, close to Palermo and south of Oroville.
According to him, the school received 911 calls reporting that someone on campus had shot students.
FBI Sacramento office special agent in charge Sid Patel stated that the agency was “providing support to aid our partners and the community during this challenging time.”
Although it was unclear how the youngsters who were shot were doing, Honea stated that he was hopeful about their recovery because they were both still receiving treatment on Wednesday night.
He described the shooting as awful and horrifying.
“When you’re talking about little kids like this, who can’t defend themselves, it really does tear at the heart,” he stated.
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