A suspected gunman is dead, and two students, ages 5 and 6, are in the hospital after a shooting Wednesday at a Butte County elementary school, officials said.Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said they got a 911 call around 1 p.m. about a shooting at the Feather River Adventist School near Palermo. When deputies got to the campus, they found a man believed to be the shooter with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. That man is dead.Deputies also found the two students with gunshot wounds, the sheriff’s office said. They are now in the hospital with unknown injuries. KCRA 3’s Chico affiliate was told by Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey that the two students shot were kindergarten boys. Honea later confirmed the boys’ ages. Honea said the suspected shooter was at the school for a meeting with the principal about potentially enrolling a student. Honea noted that investigators have not verified if the purpose of that meeting was legitimate.”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.The sheriff said investigators are continuing to learn more about the suspect’s background. He said there is a belief that the suspect targeted the school due to its affiliation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.The suspect was also dropped off at the school, Honea said. It may have been a ride share service. The sheriff issued a public plea for that driver to contact the Butte County Sheriff’s Office at 530-538-7322.Honea said it is not believed that the shooter has a connection to campus or the students. He has not yet been identified. The FBI is assisting the Butte County Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.Watch Honea’s full press conference update below The sheriff’s office said students were taken to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene in Oroville. Parents were reunited with their children at the church, located at 2238 Monte Vista Ave.KCRA 3’s Maricela De La Cruz is at the Church and has seen several families reunited since evacuations began. She talked to a sixth grader at the school named Jocelyn who said the shooting happened at recess and she saw the gunman. KCRA 3’s DeNeeka Hill is at the corner of Cox Lane and Stimpson Road and said the road is blocked in that area by deputies. According to Caltrans, Highway 70 is closed in both directions between East Gridley and Power House Hill roads. It is unclear when the highway will reopen in the area. LiveCopter 3 flew over the scene at the school. Feather River Adventist School has 35 students enrolled and is a K-8 campus. The school is located roughly 10 miles south of Oroville.Assemblyman James Gallagher, who represents Yuba City, released a statement about the school shooting:“My heart is breaking for everyone impacted by this tragedy. We will never understand why or how someone could do a thing like this. I am grateful for the bravery of the law enforcement, fire and medical personnel who responded to this attack to stop the shooter and rescue the victims. As a community, we’ll all be hugging our loved ones closer today as we pray for the victims and try to make sense of something so senseless.”This is a developing story. Watch our live newscasts below as we continue to gather details.Do you have photos or video of an incident? If so, upload them to KCRA.com/upload. Be sure to include your name and additional details so we can give you proper credit online and on TV.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter
A suspected gunman is dead, and two students, ages 5 and 6, are in the hospital after a shooting Wednesday at a Butte County elementary school, officials said.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said they got a 911 call around 1 p.m. about a shooting at the Feather River Adventist School near Palermo.
When deputies got to the campus, they found a man believed to be the shooter with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. That man is dead.
Deputies also found the two students with gunshot wounds, the sheriff’s office said. They are now in the hospital with unknown injuries. KCRA 3’s Chico affiliate was told by Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey that the two students shot were kindergarten boys. Honea later confirmed the boys’ ages.
Honea said the suspected shooter was at the school for a meeting with the principal about potentially enrolling a student. Honea noted that investigators have not verified if the purpose of that meeting was legitimate.
“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.
The sheriff said investigators are continuing to learn more about the suspect’s background. He said there is a belief that the suspect targeted the school due to its affiliation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The suspect was also dropped off at the school, Honea said. It may have been a ride share service. The sheriff issued a public plea for that driver to contact the Butte County Sheriff’s Office at 530-538-7322.
Honea said it is not believed that the shooter has a connection to campus or the students. He has not yet been identified. The FBI is assisting the Butte County Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.
Watch Honea’s full press conference update below
The sheriff’s office said students were taken to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene in Oroville. Parents were reunited with their children at the church, located at 2238 Monte Vista Ave.
KCRA 3’s Maricela De La Cruz is at the Church and has seen several families reunited since evacuations began. She talked to a sixth grader at the school named Jocelyn who said the shooting happened at recess and she saw the gunman.
KCRA 3’s DeNeeka Hill is at the corner of Cox Lane and Stimpson Road and said the road is blocked in that area by deputies.
According to Caltrans, Highway 70 is closed in both directions between East Gridley and Power House Hill roads. It is unclear when the highway will reopen in the area.
LiveCopter 3 flew over the scene at the school.
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Feather River Adventist School has 35 students enrolled and is a K-8 campus. The school is located roughly 10 miles south of Oroville.
Assemblyman James Gallagher, who represents Yuba City, released a statement about the school shooting:
“My heart is breaking for everyone impacted by this tragedy. We will never understand why or how someone could do a thing like this. I am grateful for the bravery of the law enforcement, fire and medical personnel who responded to this attack to stop the shooter and rescue the victims. As a community, we’ll all be hugging our loved ones closer today as we pray for the victims and try to make sense of something so senseless.”
This is a developing story. Watch our live newscasts below as we continue to gather details.
Do you have photos or video of an incident? If so, upload them to KCRA.com/upload. Be sure to include your name and additional details so we can give you proper credit online and on TV.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter