Gunman attacks Seventh-day Adventist school in California; 2 boys 'critical yet stable'
A gunman attacked a small Seventh-day Adventist-affiliated school in California Wednesday, badly wounding two male students before dying of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On Wednesday afternoon, a shooter entered the campus of Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Palermo, a small kindergarten through eighth-grade school of fewer than 40 students.
The unnamed shooter, who, according to The Associated Press, had no prior ties to the school, reportedly attended a meeting with an administrator about possibly enrolling a child.
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However, shots soon rang out, with two students being wounded. The body of the shooter was later discovered near some playground equipment, with a handgun located close by.
Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea said at a press conference that while a motive was presently unknown, it was possible that the school was attacked for its religious affiliation.
"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," Honea stated, as quoted by the AP.
The two wounded children — a 5-year-old boy and a 6-year-old boy — were in "critical but stable condition" as of Thursday, according to a sheriff's office statement.
Siddhartha Patel, the special agent in charge of the FBI Sacramento Field Office, said during the press conference that investigators will do an "entire workup of the subject to get a better understanding of his motivation, ideology and what else could help [us] understand today's situation on incidence."
The Northern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists posted a statement to Facebook on Thursday saying that they were "deeply saddened by the events that occurred yesterday at Feather River School."
"Our students, faculty, and staff were reunited with their families. Two of our students are being treated for their injuries. Join us as we lift up these children, their families, and our staff members in prayer," the conference added.
"We are grateful for the brave officers of the Butte County Sheriff's Department who acted quickly to protect our students. We will continue to work closely with Sheriff Kory Honea and his team during this investigation."
G. Alexander Bryant, president of the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, issued a statement on Thursday calling the incident an act of "senseless violence."
"We are fully supportive of our Adventist leadership in the Northern California Conference as they work closely with local authorities to address this tragedy. All levels of ministry are engaged in supporting members of our church and others in the community who are in crisis," said Bryant.
"Again, we urge our members and others to be prayerful and to help protect the privacy of this small, close-knit community during this very difficult time."
