PALERMO, Calif. (AP) — The gunman died at the scene, reportedly from a self-inflicted gunshot, and two students were in critically critical condition Wednesday after being shot at a small, religious K–8 school in Northern California.
According to Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea, the gunman may have targeted the Feather River institution of Seventh-Day Adventists in Palermo due to its religious association, but it is not thought that he had any previous ties to the victims or the institution. He did not elaborate.
At this time, I don’t have enough information to say if this is a hate crime or whether it’s a part of a bigger plan, he said.
According to officials, the injured boys, who are in kindergarten at the school and are receiving treatment at a trauma facility in the Sacramento region, are five and six years old.
“They have a long road ahead of them, but I’m glad they’re still alive,” Honea said.
The incident happened just after 1 p.m. at the less than three dozen-student private Christian school in Palermo, which is roughly 65 miles north of Sacramento and has a population of about 5,500.
It was the most recent of dozens of school shootings that have occurred in the United States in recent years, including particularly lethal ones in Uvalde, Texas; Parkland, Florida; and Newtown, Connecticut. In addition to igniting heated discussions about gun control, the shootings have agitated parents whose kids are growing up used to active shooter exercises in the classroom.
However, national gun regulations have not changed much as a result of school shootings. KFF, a nonprofit organization that studies health care concerns, reports that in 2020 and 2021, firearms were the primary cause of death for youngsters.
Following a shooting on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, in Oroville, California, emergency workers were seen outside the Feather River Adventist School. (The Chico Enterprise-Record/Michael Weber via AP)AP
According to Honea, an Uber driver who is being questioned by authorities dropped off the shooter.
According to him, the shooter was having a friendly conversation with an administrator regarding the enrollment of a child at the school. However, it appears that he had no prior relationship to the victims and that was his first visit to the school. Shots were fired shortly after, according to Honea.
On the school’s property, which borders ranchland where cattle graze, the gunman’s body was discovered close to playground equipment. According to Honea, a firearm was discovered close by.
Before revealing the shooter’s identity, Honea stated that they were attempting to get in touch with his family.
Members of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, a Christian denomination, believe that Christ’s second coming is imminent and regard the Bible as their exclusive creed. According to its website, the Feather River School has been in operation since 1965.
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