NorCal school shooting victims identified; sheriff reveals more details about suspect

OROVILLE, Calif. -- California investigators shed caller airy connected the shooting astatine a Northern California Christian school that has near 2 kindergarteners successful the infirmary successful captious and unchangeable condition, revealing that the deceased shooter had targeted the Feather River Adventist School.

Butte County, California, Sheriff Kory Honea identified the victims arsenic Roman Mendez, 6, and Elias Wolfard, 5. They were playing successful the playground astatine the Oroville schoolhouse erstwhile the fishy opened fire, the sheriff said.

Butte County Sheriff's Office

Honea said Roman was changeable doubly and had interior injuries and Elias was changeable erstwhile successful the abdomen. They are inactive being treated for their gunshot wounds and volition request respective surgeries, according to the sheriff.

"They person a precise agelong roadworthy up of them," helium told reporters astatine a quality league Thursday.

Honea stressed that the probe was ongoing but revealed the individuality of the shooter, his decades of transgression past and immoderate clues into his motive down the incident.

Glenn Litton, 56, called the school, which is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, respective days agone utilizing an alias to acceptable up an assignment with the principal, according to the sheriff. Litton claimed that helium was looking to enroll a grandchild astatine the school. The shooter, who was homeless, has nary grandchildren, according to Honea.

"It appears to america that communicative was a ruse truthful helium could acceptable up an assignment truthful helium had entree to the campus," helium told reporters.

After the gathering ended, the shooter walked to the playground of the school, brandished a handgun and opened fire. The shooter took his ain life, according to investigators.

Police were called and a California Highway Patrol trooper was the archetypal to get connected the scene, uncovering the 2 wounded students and the suspect's body. The boys were rapidly rushed to hospitals.

The fishy had a agelong transgression past with arrests dating backmost to erstwhile helium was a child, according to section investigators and the FBI, which is assisting successful the investigation. The fishy spent respective stints successful authorities and national prisons for assorted crimes including forgery, investigators said.

In the past year, the shooter had been charged with caller counts successful some California and Arizona. In March, helium was accused of stealing currency from a CVS successful Phoenix wherever helium worked a fewer days, investigators said.

Last month, the shooter was released from a San Bernardino County jailhouse aft helium was arrested for stealing a U-Haul. He pleaded not guilty, was released connected his ain recognizance and was picked up by a relative, the sheriff said.

Honea said that the shooter lived successful motels successful Chico and Sacramento successful the 2 weeks earlier helium took a autobus and an Uber to the school.

The shooter attended a Seventh-day Adventist School successful Paradise, California, galore years agone and had a comparative who attended the targeted schoolhouse galore years ago, investigators said. However, investigators said determination is nary existent transportation betwixt the schoolhouse and the suspect.

The shooter did look up different Seventh-day Adventist schoolhouse successful the country and had suspicious notes that mentioned the church, according to Honea.

Investigators said they uncovered writings by the shooter that made unverified claims the schoolhouse was linked with matters concerning the ongoing struggle successful the Middle East. Honea said determination is nary denotation that the shooter's claims are true.

"He had important intelligence wellness issues and pulled accusation from assorted sources and it each pulled unneurotic to signifier a world that is false," the sheriff said.

Investigators said that arsenic a convicted felon, the shooter could not legally person a firearm and it appeared the limb utilized successful the shooting was a shade gun. Investigators are inactive looking for clues and are successful interaction with the suspect's sister but noted that helium did not person adjacent relations with his family.

The school, which teaches kindergarten to 8th people and has a full of 35 students, remains closed and counselors person been made disposable to the students and staff, according to Laurie Trujillo, a spokeswoman for the Northern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Trujillo held backmost tears arsenic she talked astir the symptom and trauma that the schoolhouse and religion assemblage are enduring and asked for radical of each faiths to nonstop their prayers.

"We cognize the close-knit Feather Day assemblage volition beryllium grieving for a agelong time," she said.

A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Friday successful grant of the victims.