A suspected gunman who opened fire inside a Northern California school on Wednesday, wounding two kindergarten students, allegedly met with school administrators moments before the shooting to discuss the possibility of enrolling his family there, according to investigators.
Two students, ages 5 and 6, were wounded in the shooting at Feather River Adventist School, just outside of Oroville, Calif., in Northern California. The young children were taken to a local hospital and remain in “extremely critical condition,” Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea said in a press briefing shared on Facebook on Wednesday.
“I’m thankful that they are still alive, but they have a long road ahead of them, and I certainly hope that you’d all keep them in your thoughts and prayers as we move forward,” Honea told reporters.
The alleged gunman, who has not been identified, was found dead at the scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Honea added.
Honea told reporters that investigators are looking into whether the suspect’s meeting with school officials prior to the shooting was legitimate or if it was a “ruse” to gain access to the school grounds without raising an alarm.
“We have received some information that he made an appointment to come to the school and meet with an administrator,” Honea said. “His statement to school officials was that he wanted to explore the possibility of enrolling a family member as a student at the school.”
Emergency personnel state outside the Feather River Adventist School after a shooting Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Oroville, Calif.
Michael Weber/The Chico Enterprise-Record via AP
The sheriff said the suspect’s meeting with school officials appeared to be “cordial” and that no concerns were raised at the time.
“Shortly after concluding that meeting, the principal heard shots being fired, heard screams, and that’s when they determined or found that the two students had been shot,” Honea said, adding that “then subsequently it appears as though [the shooter] took his own life.”
Feather River Adventist School.
Google Maps
The sheriff said police received a 911 call around 1 p.m. and discovered the shooter and victims upon arriving at the school. Honea said investigators believe the shooting may have been “targeted” because of the school’s “affiliation with the Seventh-Day Adventists church.”
“My heart is breaking for everyone impacted by this tragedy,” local Assemblyman James Gallagher said in a statement on social media following the shooting. “We will never understand why or how someone could do a thing like this. I am grateful for the bravery of the law enforcement, fire and medical personnel who responded to this attack to stop the shooter and rescue the victims. As a community, we’ll all be hugging our loved ones closer today as we pray for the victims and try to make sense of something so senseless.”
