In California, the entertainment capital of the U.S, a gunman shot and injured two children aged six and five at a school before fatally shooting himself. Police officials have said was probably a targeted attack.
At the time of filing this report, the children are in severely critical condition and are being treated at a trauma centre, according to officials on Wednesday.
The attack had occurred at a school associated with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church near Oroville, California, located about 55 miles (89 kilometres) from Sacramento.
Investigators said they believe the gunman had targeted the school because of its associated with the church but this claim is yet to be verified.
The shooting occurred a short while after 13:00 local time (21:00 GMT) on Wednesday at the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists.
How It Happened
Butte County Sheriff, Kory Honea narrated that the gunman, whom they did not name had scheduled a meeting with a school administrator to discuss enrolling a student.
According to Sheriff Honea, the meeting was seemingly cordial, but events took a daek turn when the gunman opened fire on students outside a classroom, immediately hitting two kindergarten-aged children who are now in “extremely critical condition”.
“I can tell you that the injuries are very, very serious. I’m thankful that they are still alive but they have a long road ahead of them.” He said
The shooter thereafter turned the handgun on himself, police said, adding that the gunman was found dead by first responders with the firearm near his body.
The school’s unharmed 35 children were afterwards transferred to a church, where they were reunited with their families.
“[Investigators] have received some information that leads us to believe that the subject responsible for the shooting targeted this school because of its affiliation with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church,” Sheriff Honea said, though he did not provide more details.
At this time, the gunman’s name has not been released but a state-wide alert has been sent to other schools associated with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church as caution.
