Butte County K-8 school shooting: Community supports victims as they struggle to recover
Oroville school shooting victim may not regain ability to walk
Elias Wolford, the 5-year-old victim of last week's shooting at Feather River Adventist School, is struggling to recover after multiple surgeries.
According to updates from his extended family, Wolford has not been able to move his legs since being hospitalized. It was initially thought that it might be the result of localized swelling. However, Wolford had an MRI yesterday that indicated otherwise.
The results from the MRI show that there is damage from the bullet to the outer edge of Wolford's spinal cord.
Doctors are unsure as to whether Wolford will regain full use of his legs.
Wolford’s family is praying for a complete recovery.
In the wake of this tragedy, the local community has been working to support the victims' families through a vigil last week, fundraiser events and with monetary donations. The GoFundMe campaign started by the Wolford family has raised over $70,000.
Additionally a fund through North Valley Community Foundation has raised over $45,000. It will be divided evenly between the families of the two shooting victims. That campaign will remain open as long as donations come in. No administration fees will be deducted, and 100% of the funds will go directly to the families.
Roman Mendez is also still recovering from two bullet wounds to the chest. NSPR has not received an update on the recovery of the 6-year-old from his family, but will post one as soon as it is available.
A separate fundraiser started by his family has raised over $38,000.
School shooting investigation reveals more details about shooter, victims
A man who shot and injured two kindergarteners at a private religious school in Butte County on Wednesday was identified by law enforcement as 56-year-old Glenn Litton.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Litton suffered from mental illness and had a lengthy — though not violent — criminal record. He added that Litton was born in Chico and was homeless, moving back and forth between Chico and Sacramento.
The sheriff said Litton may have targeted the Feather River School of Seventh Day Adventists near Oroville based on its religious affiliation.
He gained access to the school on Wednesday after meeting with its principal. He called several days earlier and made an appointment using the pseudonym Michael Sanders, Honea said.
“His story was that his daughter had recently moved to Gridley and that he wanted his grandson to go to that school and he was willing to pay the tuition,” the sheriff said. “As it turns out, that was all a lie, his daughter had not moved to Gridley and he did not have a grandson.”
After leaving the principal’s office, Litton opened fire on school grounds before shooting and killing himself.
Litton shot and injured two kindergarteners: 5-year-old Elias Wolford and 6-year-old Roman Mendez, both of whom are in “critical but stable” condition at a hospital in Sacramento. A verified GoFundMe for Wolford organized by his grandparents said he “was airlifted to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to stop the bleeding. He is currently sedated and on a ventilator in PICU, awaiting additional surgery.”
“The fact that they are currently still with us is a miracle,” Honea said, but added that they face surgeries and “a very long road ahead of them.”
The sheriff said investigators found writings from Litton which led them to believe the school was targeted. The sheriff said, Litton wrote about taking “counter-measures” against the school in response to America’s involvement in violence in the Middle East.
“That’s a motivation that was in his mind. How it was that he conflated what’s going on in Palestine and Yemen with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, I can’t speculate. I’m not sure that we’ll ever know that,” Honea said.
In recent years, Litton searched online for guns and explosives and wrote notes to himself to plan a non-specific mass incident, Butte County District Attorney Michael L. Ramsey said.
When he was a child, Litton attended a school of Seventh Day Adventists in Paradise, which is also in Butte County. He also may have had a relative attend the school near Oroville years ago, investigators said.
Laurie Trujillo, a spokesperson for the Northern California Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, said in a statement that the church community was “deeply saddened" by the shooting. She added that they were grateful to the sheriff’s office for acting quickly to protect the students.
The Seventh-Day Adventist Church is a Christian denomination in which members consider the Bible their only creed and believe that the second coming of Christ is near. The Feather River School has been open since 1965, according to its website.
A candlelight vigil was scheduled for Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sheriff Honea said shooter had ‘lengthy’ criminal history, mental health issues
The suspect of yesterday’s shooting at Feather River Adventist School in Oroville has been identified as Glenn Litton, 56.
He shot and injured two kindergarteners and then killed himself just days after being released from jail in San Bernardino County on his own recognizance, according to officials at a press conference in Oroville this evening.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea described Litton as a transient between Chico and the Sacramento area.
He said Litton was into body building and may have frequented local gyms. Officials are asking individuals who knew Litton to contact the Sheriff’s Office to help with their investigation.
Honea said Litton served time in California and Nevada for misdemeanors and felonies.
“He has a lengthy criminal history, and a history of mental health issues,” Honea said. “His first prison sentence was in 1991 for theft, several other convictions for various crimes to include theft, fraud and forgery in the ‘90s and early 2000s.”
While Litton’s motivation for the shooting is still unknown, Honea gave further details about some of the evidence leading law enforcement to believe the shooting was connected to the religious affiliation of the school, including some writings they found by Litton.
Honea said the writings discussed an organization called the “International Alliance,” which authorities have found no evidence of actually existing.
Litton believed he was a lieutenant for the organization and was tasked with committing countermeasures against the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the United States’ involvement in Palestine and Yemen. Litton described the “necessitated” countermeasures as child executions.
While officials are still early in the investigation and it’s too soon to be sure, Honea said it may have been Litton’s mental health issues that led him to conflate information and events. If so, it would appear that Litton invented the organization and its mission.
Honea said Litton also had an alternative target. He had researched ACES of Red Bluff, another Seventh-day Adventist school, and made an appointment to meet with the principal today.
This was the same ruse he used to gain access to the school in Oroville. Ultimately, he shot himself before he could carry out the second part of his plan.
“His story was that his daughter had recently moved to Gridley and that he wanted his grandson to go to that school,” Honea said. “As it turns out, that was all a lie.”
He also used a fake name to schedule these appointments. That name was Michael Sanders. Litton had an ID under this name and may have used it frequently as an alias.
Litton was born in Chico and attended a Seventh-day Adventist school in Paradise. He also might have had a relative who used to attend Feather River Adventist School, but that was years ago.
Honea emphasized that the investigation is still ongoing and asked the community to provide any information they may have on Litton’s history, ideas or beliefs.
Those with information are asked to call officials.
Local residents have been directed to call the Butte County Sheriff’s Office at (530)-538-7322.
Those outside of the area can call 1-800-CALL-FBI or can use the FBI’s electronic tip form.
Students being treated at trauma centers for injuries
Two kindergarten students were critically injured at the shooting at Feather River Adventist School yesterday. A man who visited the school under the pretense of a campus tour opened fire on the children before killing himself around 1 p.m. yesterday afternoon.
According to reporting by Action News Now, both of the students are being treated at a trauma center in Sacramento and are in a critical but stable condition.
One of the victims is 6-year-old Roman Mendez. The media outlet reports he’s undergone multiple surgeries at UC Davis Medical Center and that doctors told the family that Roman has four wounds in his chest and back, but it’s unclear as to whether that includes exit wounds.
According to the reporting, Roman’s twin brother also attends Feather River Adventist School and witnessed the shooting.
A GoFundMe account has been started by the local community to support the families affected by the shooting.
There will be a candlelight vigil for the victims on Friday at 5:15 p.m. The vigil will be held at the Christmas tree in downtown Oroville.
Shooting at Feather River Adventist School in Oroville
One person has died after a shooting at a private elementary and middle school in Butte County.
Butte County Sheriff's deputies responded to “an active incident involving a shooting” at Feather River Adventist School in Oroville, they said in a post on social media.
“The suspected shooter is deceased,” they added in a subsequent post.
Students were taken to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene. Deputies requested parents pick their students up from the church.
No other details were given about the incident.
Feather River Adventist School enrolls roughly 33 students between kindergarten and eighth grade, according to a 2022 post on its website. It has been in operation since 1965.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
‘I’m thankful that they are still alive’: Sheriff speaks about the condition of the two kindergarteners
At a media briefing at 7 p.m. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea cautioned that his office is still very early into their investigation into the shooting that took place at Feather River Adventist in Oroville today. But he did give more details about the current condition of the two children who were injured and law enforcement’s response.
The two children are currently hospitalized. Both were in kindergarten — ages 5 and 6 — and in “extremely critical condition,” Honea said.
“I am thankful that they are still alive, but they have a long road ahead of them, and I would certainly hope that you would all keep them in your thoughts and prayers as we move forward,” Honea said.
He said his office is no longer looking for the person that had dropped off the gunman in a gray, four-door sedan, as it’s been confirmed the gunman was dropped off in an Uber. The Uber driver has been identified and is being questioned about the individual’s interaction with the gunman.
More about the shooting, local response
Honea said the California Highway Patrol was the agency that received the 911 calls from Feather River Adventist School due to the school’s proximity to Highway 70.
Those calls came into CHP at 1:08 p.m. They were then transferred to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office a minute later at 1:09 p.m., and the Sheriff’s Office immediately dispatched deputies, he said.
A CHP officer was first at the scene at 1:10 p.m. — two minutes after the CHP received the calls.
The officer found an adult male who was deceased and appeared to have shot himself, Honea said. A handgun was located near the person’s body.
Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at the scene four minutes later — at 1:14 p.m. — and began providing medical aid to the two students who were shot, as well as searching for any other possible threats on the campus.
Honea said the rest of the students — about 35 in total — were then taken to the gymnasium for safety and later bussed to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene to be reunited with their families.
The Sheriff’s Office is currently trying to reconstruct the gunman’s prior activities and figure out his motive.
Honea said it appears that the suspect may have targeted Feather River Adventist School due to its association with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but he does believe it to be an isolated incident.
The identity of the person is known, but Honea said he is not currently releasing it to protect the investigation currently underway.
Honea closed his comments by acknowledging the incident as another in a series of major incidents and tragedies for Butte County.
“This community has endured so much over the last few years. It's hard to believe that we're back here again,” Honea said. “But I can assure you that we're going to do everything we possibly can to figure out why this individual did the things he did, and then, of course, moving forward, try to take care of those members of our community who have been impacted by this horrific event.”
DA, FBI involvement with the case
Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey also spoke at the media briefing.
Ramsey said the DA’s Office is working to support the Sheriff’s Office.
“I'm very proud of you, county law enforcement,” he said. “They all came together. There was many different agencies that were there to help out with this investigation and continue to help out with the investigation.”
Ramsey said victim assistant advocates from his office and Sutter County supported parents at the Oroville Church of the Nazarene.
“That will be going on now for weeks, obviously months,” Ramsey said. “Not only the children that were grievously injured, but those children that saw their classmates gunned down in front of them.”
Sid Patel, special agent in charge for the FBI’s Sacramento Field Office, was the last to give an update at the briefing before Honea answered reporters' questions.
Patel said the agency was helping with the investigation and that no parent should have to endure what happened today.
“Please know we're working hand in hand with the full force of the FBI to be able to assist the Sheriff's department in any way or form they need, as well as your communities,” he said.
He said the FBI’s Evidence Response Team is currently deployed and the agency has victim specialists helping family members.
“We're doing an entire workup of the subject to get a better understanding of his motivation, ideology, [and] what else could help understand today's situation and incidents,” Patel said.
Another media briefing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday.
Sheriff says gunman discussed enrolling a student before gunshots were heard
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea has shared new information about the shooting at Feather River Adventist School in Oroville this afternoon.
Honea told a group of reporters that the suspected shooter had met with the principal to discuss enrolling a student. Several minutes after the meeting concluded, the principal heard screams and gunshots.
Two boys were injured, ages 5 and 6. The rest of the students were ushered to the gymnasium for safety.
The injured students are still being treated at local hospitals and there is no update on their current condition.
Crisis counselors, chaplains and Victim Witness Services were available to support school staff, students and their families.
The Sheriff's Office is still investigating the shooting and the shooter’s motivation.
It appears that the suspect may have targeted Feather River School due to its association with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Out of an abundance of caution, Sheriff Honea issued an advisory to other police departments to be aware of a potential threat to other schools associated with the church. At this point, however, the shooting appears to be an isolated incident.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation, and the FBI is assisting. Law enforcement officials believe they know who the suspect is, but have not yet released his identity.
Law enforcement is attempting to get into the suspect’s phone to identify contacts and other relevant information.
The suspect was dropped off by a gray, four-door sedan which may or may not be from a ride share service. Law enforcement is asking for anyone with information about the car, driver or shooter to call the Butte County Sheriff’s Office at (530)-538-7322.
Honea emphasized that the investigation is ongoing.
There will be a final news briefing today at 6:30 p.m.
Two students injured, suspected gunman dead in shooting at Butte County K-8 school
Two children were injured and one man is dead after a shooting at a private K-8 school in Butte County.
Around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, an adult man walked into the Feather River Adventist School in Oroville and fired shots at students, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said.
Deputies responded to the school — which is located between Palermo and Oroville on Highway 70 — and found the man dead.
“[He] appeared to have sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Honea said.
Two students were also found with gunshot wounds and taken to local hospitals for treatment. Honea said he could not share how old the students were, nor give updates on their current condition.
Other students on campus were gathered by deputies and taken to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene. Honea requested parents pick their students up from the church.
“We have crisis counselors responding to the school as well as chaplains and representatives from the Seventh-day Adventist Church to help us deal with that part of this event and take care of the immediate needs of all of the students and faculty who were here,” Honea added.
The suspected shooter’s identity was not released as of Wednesday afternoon.
“It does not appear at this point that the individual has any connection to this campus,” Honea said.
The sheriff added that the department is “very, very early on in the investigation” and would release more information as it becomes available.
Feather River Adventist School enrolls roughly 33 students between kindergarten and eighth grade, according to a 2022 post on its website. It has been in operation since 1965.
Dozens of deputies were still on campus when crime scene investigators arrived around 3:20 p.m., according to CapRadio reporters on scene.
State Assembly Member James Gallagher, who represents the Butte County area, called the incident “senseless” in a post on social media.
“My heart is breaking for everyone impacted by this tragedy. We will never understand why or how someone could do a thing like this,” he said. “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.”
North State Public Radio’s Ken Devol and Alec Stutson contributed to this report.
Two children injured in Feather River Adventist School Shooting in Oroville
Two children were injured and one man is dead after a shooting at a private K-8 school in Butte County.
Around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, an adult man walked into the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists and fired shots at students, Butte County Sheriff Korey Honea said.
Deputies responded to the school — which is located between Palmero and Oroville on Highway 70 — and found the man dead.
“[He] appeared to have sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Honea said.
Two students were also found with gunshot wounds and taken to local hospitals for treatment. Honea could not share how old the students were, nor give updates on their current condition.
Other students on campus were gathered by deputies and taken to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene. Butte County Sheriff requested parents pick their students up from the church.
“We have crisis counselors responding to the school as well as chaplains and representatives from the Seventh Day Adventist Church to help us deal with that part of this event and take care of the immediate needs of all of the students and faculty who were here,” Honea added.
The suspected shooter’s identity was not released as of Wednesday afternoon.
“It does not appear at this point that the individual has any connection to this campus,” Honea said.
He added that the department is “very very early on in the investigation” and would release more information as it becomes available.
Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists enrolls roughly 33 students between kindergarten and eighth grade, according to a 2022 post on its website. It has been in operation since 1965.
North State Public Radio’s Ken Devol contributed to this report.