Two kindergarteners were hurt in a shooting at a school in northern California on Wednesday afternoon. Authorities say they found a male suspect dead with what looks like a gunshot wound to the head.
Around 1:09 p.m., the Feather River Adventist School in Oroville called 911. The Butte County Sheriff’s Office said it sent “immediately with every available law enforcement officer in Butte County” to the area. Two kindergarten boys, ages 5 and 6, were hurt, according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey, who spoke to CNN station KCRA.
To KCRA, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said he doesn’t think the shooter has any ties to the school or the students. KCRA reported that the suspect was at the school earlier Wednesday, meeting with the director to talk about a possible student enrollment. Suddenly, gunshots and screams could be heard.
The website for Feather River Adventist School says that it is a K–8 school and that 33 students were enrolled there as of 2022.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said that the two kids who were shot were taken to hospitals in the area to get medical care. A spokesperson for the department said they couldn’t give an update on their state and that the shooter has not been identified yet because the investigation is still in its early stages.
A nearby church, the Oroville Church of the Nazarene, was taking the students. The sheriff’s office said that parents can meet up with their children there.
The Sacramento Field Office of the FBI said in a statement on X that it is “helping our partners and the community through this difficult time.”
Sacramento is to the south of Butte County.
