Two children were in 'extremely critical condition' Wednesday after being shot at a tiny religious K-8 school in Northern California by a suspected gunman who fatally shot himself.
The wounded children, boys ages 5 and 6, are kindergarteners at the school and are being treated at a trauma center in the Sacramento area, officials said. One of the children had to be air-lifted to a hospital.
'I am thankful that they're still alive, but they've got a long road ahead of them,' said Sheriff Kory Honea.
The gunman may have targeted the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Palermo because of its religious affiliation, but isn't believed to have had a prior connection to the victims.
'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 said.
The shooting occurred shortly after 1 p.m. at the private Christian school with fewer than three dozen students in Palermo, which has about 5,500 people and is about 65 miles north of Sacramento.
Honea said the shooter was in a meeting with an administrator about enrolling a child at the school, which he described as 'cordial.'
While initially, it appeared the gunman had no connection to the school, it is now believed he may have been affiliated with either the school or the nearby church. His full identity is not released yet and there's no clear motive for the shooting.
Two children were in 'extremely critical condition' Wednesday after being shot at a tiny religious K-8 school in Northern California before the suspected gunman fatally shot himself. Pictured: police stand next to the tarp-covered body of the presumed shooter
The wounded children, boys ages 5 and 6, are kindergarteners at the school and are being treated at a trauma center in the Sacramento area, officials said. One of the children had to be air-lifted to a hospital
But it seems that was his first visit to the school and he did not know the victims. Shortly after that, shots rang out and people began screaming, Honea said.
The gunman's body was found near the slide and other playground equipment on the grounds of the school, which abuts ranchland where cattle graze.
A handgun was found nearby, said Honea, who added they were trying to contact the shooter's family before releasing his name.
Laurie Trujillo, a spokesperson for the Northern California Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, said in a statement that they were 'deeply saddened by the events that occurred today at our Feather River school.'
She added that they are grateful to the sheriff´s office for acting quickly to protect the students.
The Seventh-Day Adventist Church is a Christian denomination in which members consider the Bible their only creed and believe that the second coming of Christ is near.
The Feather River School has been open since 1965, according to its website.
The private elementary school was put on lockdown on Wednesday afternoon.
Sheriff Kory Honea said the gunman may have targeted the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Palermo because of its religious affiliation, but isn't believed to have had a prior connection to the victims or the school
Emergency personnel state outside the Feather River Adventist School after a shooting
After the shooting, authorities rushed students initially to a gymnasium where they stayed until a bus arrived to take them off the grounds and to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene to be reunited with their families, Honea said.
Travis Marshall, the senior pastor for the Oroville Church of the Nazarene, called the reunification between parents and their children 'very moving.'
'Some of the children were incredibly emotional,' he said. 'One woman was raising her hands up, praising the Lord' when she found her child.
Sixth grader Jocelyn Orlando described what happened to CBS News Sacramento.
'We were going in for lunch recess and basically everybody in my classroom heard shooting and most people were screaming,' she said.
'We all went into the office, we closed the curtains, locked the doors, basically did what we would do in a school shooting, and then one of the teachers came and we all ran into the gym.'
Assemblyman James Gallagher, whose area includes Palermo, said his 'heart is breaking for everyone impacted by this tragedy.'
'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,' he said in a statement.
After the shooting, authorities rushed students initially to a gymnasium where they stayed until a bus arrived to take them off the grounds and to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene to be reunited with their families, Honea said
Police tape blocks a road outside the Feather River Adventist School
Honea added that the FBI is assisting in the investigation.
The school advertises itself as intending to give a 'spiritually oriented education for children.'
Honea noted that this is a rural area with very few people in the building and they're doing their best to take care of everyone.
'I hope that people can appreciate how tough this is for the students of the school, the faculty of the school, the members of this community, all the first responders.'
'We're doing everything we can to determine what happened in addition to making sure that everybody is safe.'
California Highway Patrol closed State Route 70 to northbound traffic near the school and are diverting traffic west and another southbound road was closed for about an hour.
