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PALERMO, Calif. (AP) — Two children were wounded Wednesday successful a shooting astatine a tiny spiritual K-8 schoolhouse successful Northern California and deputies arrived to find the gunman connected the crushed adjacent the playground, dormant aft seemingly shooting himself, sheriff’s officials said.
The children, ages 5 and 6, were taken to adjacent hospitals and their conditions were not instantly known, officials said. One was airlifted to a adjacent hospital.
The shooting occurred soon aft 1 p.m. astatine the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists, a backstage schoolhouse successful Palermo with less than 3 twelve students. Palermo has astir 5,500 radical and is astir 65 miles (104 km) northbound of Sacramento.
It was the the latest among dozens of schoolhouse shootings crossed the U.S. successful caller years, including particularly deadly ones successful Newtown, Connecticut; Parkland, Florida; and Uvalde, Texas. The shootings person acceptable disconnected fervent debates astir weapon power and frayed the nerves of parents whose children are increasing up accustomed to doing progressive shooter drills successful their classrooms.
But schoolhouse shootings person done small to determination the needle connected nationalist weapon laws. Firearms were the starring origin of decease among children successful 2020 and 2021, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches wellness attraction issues.
“My bosom is breaking for everyone impacted by this tragedy," Assemblyman James Gallagher, whose country includes Palermo, said successful a statement. "As a community, we’ll each beryllium hugging our loved ones person contiguous arsenic we commune for the victims and effort to marque consciousness of thing truthful senseless.”
Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea said they had received accusation that the shooter was successful a gathering with the main astir enrolling a kid astatine the school, though the gathering wasn't yet verified by investigators. Shortly after, shots rang out, Honea said. Earlier, officials had said they did not judge the shooter had immoderate transportation to the school.
The motive was not instantly known. Honea said they were trying to interaction the shooter's household earlier releasing his name.
Near the school’s descent and different playground instrumentality was the shooter’s body, covered successful a bluish tarp, arsenic officers stood adjacent to unafraid the scene. The schoolhouse abuts ranchland wherever cattle graze.
Authorities rushed students initially to a gymnasium wherever they stayed until a autobus arrived to instrumentality them disconnected the grounds and to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene to beryllium reunited with their families, Honea said.
Sixth grader Jocelyn Orlando described what happened to CBS News Sacramento.
“We were going successful for luncheon recess and fundamentally everybody successful my schoolroom heard shooting and astir radical were screaming,” she said. “We each went into the office, we closed the curtains, locked the doors, fundamentally did what we would bash successful a schoolhouse shooting, and past 1 of the teachers came and we each ran into the gym.”
Rev. Travis Marshall, the elder pastor for the Oroville Church of the Nazarene, called the reunification betwixt parents and their children "very moving.”
“Some of the children were incredibly emotional," helium said. “One pistillate was raising her hands up, praising the Lord" erstwhile she recovered her child.
Representatives for the Northern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists could not instantly beryllium reached for comment.
The schoolhouse has been unfastened since 1965, according to its website.
