Two students, boys aged 5 and 6, fell victim to a shootout at Feather River Adventist School, located in Butte County. The suspected gunman has since been found dead. Per KCRA, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said they got reports of a shooting at the school at 1 p.m.
Upon arriving at the scene, officials say they came upon the suspected gunner with a self-inflicted gunshot, which he later succumbed to. Per CBS News, a CHP officer found the gun next to him. His motive remains unknown, and the elementary students were rushed to the hospital. The two were in "extremely critical condition," per AP News.
Details about the shootout at Feather River Adventist School explored: Here's all we know so far
AP News reported that the shooter's motive at the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists may have been related to its religious nature. Although it seems unlikely that he had any ties to the victims or Feather River school beforehand, Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea told the outlet. He said:
"Whether or not this is a hate crime or whether or not it’s part of some sort of larger scheme at this point I don’t have enough information to provide an answer to that."
The outlet also revealed that the boys, both kindergartners, are being treated at a trauma center located in the Sacramento area and that the FBI is looking into the case as well.
“I am thankful that they’re still alive, but they’ve got a long road ahead of them,” Honea added.
A sixth grader said she lent a hand to her teacher in calming the younger ones down as the gunman paraded outside the classrooms, and CBS News has reported that the Butte County Office of Education has deployed a crisis response staff to help the school officials reopen the school.
Reportedly, the suspect made it to the school via Uber, and investigators are speaking with the driver to learn more. Honea also revealed that they are chasing a "story" that the man in question called a few days back to try and score an appointment with one of the school's administrators on Wednesday. He then showed up at the school to try and register a child for enrollment, but there was no child with him.
"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, per KCRA.
After the shooting, the students were sheltered in Feather River's gym until authorities brought buses to them. They were then relocated to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene, located at 2238 Monte Vista Avenue, where they met up with their parents.
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The private K-8 Christian school hosts about three dozen students in Palermo. Officer Honea told CBS News that at the time, there were no security officers on guard as it was not a routine. Owing to the investigation, the CHP closed down Highway 70 for hours.
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