A gunman in California who shot and injured two children aged six and five at a school before killing himself used a “guise” to gain in.
The children are in critical but stable condition and are being treated at a trauma hospital, officials said Thursday.
The attack occurred on Wednesday at a Seventh-Day Adventist Church-affiliated school near Oroville, California, approximately 55 miles (89 km) from Sacramento.
Investigators suspect the gunman targeted the school because of its church affiliation and was motivated by the war in Gaza.
On Thursday, the sheriff announced the discovery of a note describing the gunman’s motivation. According to the message, he intended to carry out the “child executions” as a “response to America’s involvement in genocide and oppression of Palestinians, as well as the attacks on Yemen.”
Authorities said the gunman had a lengthy mental health and criminal background, including previous counts of theft, fraud, and forgery.
The incident occurred just after 13:00 local time (21:00 GMT) at the Feather River Seventh-Day Adventist School. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said the gunman, Glenn Litton, 56, had scheduled a meeting with a school administrator to propose enrolling a pupil, which is the pretext authorities claim he used to gain access to the school.
On Thursday, the sheriff announced the discovery of a note describing the gunman’s motivation. According to the message, he intended to carry out the “child executions” as a “response to America’s involvement in genocide and oppression of Palestinians, as well as the attacks on Yemen.”
Authorities said the gunman had a lengthy mental health and criminal background, including previous counts of theft, fraud, and forgery.
The incident occurred just after 13:00 local time (21:00 GMT) at the Feather River Seventh-Day Adventist School.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said the gunman, Glenn Litton, 56, had scheduled a meeting with a school administrator to propose enrolling a pupil, which is the pretext authorities claim he used to gain access to the school.
According to Sheriff Honea, the encounter appeared to be friendly, and Litton continued on a tour, but things changed when the gunman approached a toilet and began shooting.
The bullets affected students outside a school, killing two kindergarten-aged children.
According to authorities, the gunman then committed suicide with his firearm.
He was discovered dead by first responders, with the firearm nearby.
The remaining 35 students were later transported to a church, where they were reunited with their families.
Sheriff Honea stated on Wednesday that the young kids sustained “very, very serious” injuries.
“I’m thankful that they are still alive, but they have a long road ahead of them.”
Sheriff Honea previously said investigators “have received some information 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.”.
He earlier stated that investigators felt the shooting was an isolated incident, but a statewide alert was issued to other Seventh-Day Adventist institutions out of caution.
The church is a Protestant Christian denomination that has more than 21 million adherents globally.
The North American Division of Seventh-Day Adventists reports that the church has one million members in North America.
