Police in California say a man posing as the parent of a prospective student opened fire at a private school in Oroville. The unnamed gunman allegedly shot two kindergarten students and died by suicide at Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists. Officers with the California Highway Patrol and paramedics responded to the school just after 1 p.m. on December 4, 2024. They took the injured students to an area hospital in “extremely critical condition.”
Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea addressed the media Wednesday, giving details about the horrific crime. Honea said the man reportedly had a pleasant interaction with school administrators about enrolling his child in the school. But soon, however, things took a tragic turn. Honea said the attack may have been targeted due to the school’s religious affiliation. He added the investigation is in the earliest stages and it is too soon to tell.
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The man shot two boys.
According to Honea, the gunman struck two boys, 5 and 6 years old, before turning the gun on himself in an apparent suicide. He said paramedics rushed the boys to an area hospital.
“They are currently in extremely critical condition, they are being treated by the medical staff,” he explained during the media conference.
“I’m thankful that they are still alive, but they have a long road ahead of them, and I certainly hope that you’d all keep them in your thoughts and prayers as we move forward.”
The shooting may have been the product of a 'ruse.'
Honea explained the man had a “cordial” interaction at the school and gave off no red flags. “We have received some information that he made an appointment to come to the school and meet with an administrator. His statement to school officials was that he wanted to explore the possibility of enrolling a family member as a student at the school,” the sheriff explained. The shooting occurred after the meeting.
Police secured the scene.
After arriving on the scene, CHP officers and Butte County deputies determined no additional threat at the school. They located a handgun next to the shooter’s body and cleared the scene. Honea explained that a school bus took the remaining students to Oroville Church of the Nazarene for reunification with family.
At this time, the investigation remains active. Honea added that investigators have not ruled out a targeted attack.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we sent an alert out to law enforcement agencies throughout the state of California, advising them of this shooting and advising them that the subject may have targeted this school because of its affiliation with that particular religious organization,” he said.
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Family identified one of the victims on social media.
In a post shared on the Butte County Fire & Accidents Facebook page, Debbie Wolford identified one of the victims as her grandson, Elias. She shared that he was airlifted to the hospital to undergo surgery due to his injuries.
“Elias is out of surgery… they are stopping by CT and going to PICU… I guess the bullet went through his lung, through his stomach, clipped a bit of the pancreas… So they did an X-Lap (where they just go open his whole abdominal cavity to search) and has a chest tube, they may have to go back in later but he’s going to PICU for now,” she explained in her post.
The other child’s identity is unknown.
Honea said police are trying to understand why the shooting occurred. “We’re working to essentially reconstruct this individual’s activities over the course of today as well as into the past to determine why he did the things that he did,” he said.
