Two kindergarten students remain in extremely critical condition after they were wounded in a shooting at a school north of Sacramento, authorities said on Wednesday.
The boys, aged 5 and 6, were being treated at local hospitals, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea told an evening news conference, hours after a gunman opened fire at the Feather River Adventist School in the city of Oroville.
“I’m thankful that they are still alive, but they have a long road ahead of them,” Honea said.
A suspect was found dead at the scene with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Honea said. The man has been identified but could not be immediately named due to an ongoing, FBI-assisted investigation, he added.
Authorities had received information leading them to believe the suspect had targeted the school because of its affiliation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Honea said.
Earlier in the day, the suspect had attended a meeting with a school administrator on campus, ostensibly to explore the possibility of enrolling a family member, the sheriff said.
No concerns were raised at the time and authorities were working to establish whether the meeting was a ruse for the suspect to enter the campus.
Law enforcement agencies across the state were urged to “be vigilant” and ensure schools associated with the church are safe, Honea added.
Sid Patel, FBI Special Agent in Charge for the Sacramento field office, said investigators were looking into the “entire workup of the subject to get a better understanding of his motivation, ideology.”