According to the Butte County sheriff, authorities suspect that the gunman may have targeted the California Seventh-day Adventist school where two young boys were gravely injured in a shooting on Wednesday due to its involvement with a particular denomination.
According to Sheriff Kory L. Honea, the shooting occurred at approximately 1 p.m. on the campus of Feather River Adventist School, which is close to Palermo. The gunman had previously spoken with the principal regarding the enrollment of a student.
The principal discovered that the pupils had been shot shortly after the meeting ended, according to Honea, after hearing gunfire and screams.
According to Honea, the two pupils, who were boys aged five and six, were in “extremely critical condition” in a hospital on Wednesday night. The injuries were described as “very, very serious.”
The youngsters are in “critical but stable condition” and are still receiving care at a hospital, according to an update released by the sheriff’s office on Thursday.
According to him, a handgun was discovered close to the gunman, who was dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound when police arrived.
The suspect has been positively identified, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, which also stated on Thursday that investigators are “diligently working to establish the motive.”
On Thursday at 3 p.m. local time (6 p.m. ET), the sheriff’s office will hold a news conference regarding the shooting.
The sheriff’s office acquired evidence on Wednesday, according to Honea, “that leads us to believe that the subject responsible for the shooting targeted this school because of its affiliation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.”
According to Honea, there is no relationship between the shooter and the school victims.
According to him, investigators are attempting to ascertain whether the discussion regarding a family member’s potential enrollment was genuine or only a ploy to get access to the school. According to the administrator, the meeting was friendly and nothing worried him.
About 35 kids attend Feather River Adventist School, which is a K–8 institution, according to Honea. It is located in Butte County, about 60 miles north of Sacramento, close to Palermo and south of Oroville.
According to Honea, the kids that were shot are kindergarteners.
Authorities arranged busses to bring the other schoolchildren back to their parents at a church in Oroville after they had been isolated 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.
Although the sheriff’s office stated it alerted other law enforcement agencies out of caution, the incident is thought to have been limited to the school.
The identity of the shooter was not disclosed by authorities on Wednesday. According to Honea, the name was being kept secret because potential associates were being questioned.
He used an Uber to get to the school. According to Honea, the driver has been identified and was being questioned about any remarks made by the shooter during the ride.
A request for comment on Wednesday night was not immediately answered by Uber.
Around 1:08 p.m., the California Highway Patrol received 911 calls from cell phones, and sheriff’s deputies and the patrol responded right away, according to Honea.
He said the first person on the site, a member of the Highway Patrol, discovered the gunman dead.
The probe is being supported by the FBI.
“We’re doing an entire work-up of the subject, to get a better understanding of his motivation, ideology, and what else could help understand today’s situation and incident,” Sid Patel, the special agent in charge of the FBI office in Sacramento, stated during a press conference on Wednesday evening.
Honea 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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