California town prays for recovery of 2 kindergartners in critical condition after gunman opened fire at Christian school

(CNN) — A Northern California community came together Friday night to pray for two little boys who underwent surgery and remain in critical condition after they were wounded in a shooting at a Christian school north of Sacramento, authorities said.

The boys, 6-year-old Roman Mendez and 5-year-old Elias Wolford, are being treated at a local hospital and have a “very long road ahead of them in terms of recovery,” Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said at a Thursday news conference.

Mendez sustained two gunshot wounds and Wolford was shot once in the abdomen Wednesday, the sheriff said. Both suffered internal injuries and will undergo “a number of surgeries,” Honea said. They underwent surgery Friday.

A sizeable crowd gathered for the candlelight vigil in Oroville, with speakers offering religious-themed words of comfort.

“Tonight we’re going to pray for Roman Mendez and Elias Wolford and we are going to pray for these families that have experienced a horrible, evil attack,” said Butte County Sheriff’s Office Chaplain Kenny Malone as people gathered around a holiday tree.

The suspect, named by authorities Thursday as 56-year-old Glenn Litton, was found dead at the scene from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The FBI is assisting with the investigation. Officials say he appeared to have targeted the school and used a meeting with administrators to gain access to the campus.

As students huddled in the school gym Wednesday, just feet away from the shooter standing outside, one student said she tried to keep the others calm by sharing words of encouragement.

The attack at the tiny Feather River Adventist School in Oroville is another example of the scourge of gun violence on American campuses, with at least 78 school shootings recorded so far this year in the United States. Guns are the leading cause of death for children in the US.

“I told the kindergartners to take deep breaths and just think of something happy,” sixth grader Jocelyn Orlando told CNN affiliate KOVR.

“I told the little graders to close their eyes and cover their ears because he was pacing back and forth from the window.”

Feather River Adventist School is a private school that serves kindergarten through eighth grade and has an enrollment of about 35 students, according to the sheriff.

The school is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, part of the Protestant Christian denomination whose followers believe the Bible is the infallible word of God and in the second coming of Christ. Followers worship on Saturdays and promote a healthy lifestyle.

In a statement, a communications director with the Northern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists said they were “deeply saddened” by the incident.

“Join us as we lift up these children and their families in prayer,” the statement said.“We are grateful for the brave officers of the Butte County Sheriff’s Department who acted quickly to protect our students.”

Suspect released from jail just weeks ago

Authorities were working to determine why the suspect targeted the school and whether he was acting alone, Honea said.

Litton is described as homeless and a convicted felon, legally prohibiting him from possessing a firearm, Honea said. He spent his time between Sacramento and the Chico area, had a lengthy criminal history and record of mental health issues, according to the sheriff.

Authorities had received information on Wednesday leading them to believe the suspect had targeted the school because of its affiliation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Honea said.

Before the shooting Wednesday, the suspect had attended a meeting with a school administrator, ostensibly to explore the possibility of enrolling a family member, the sheriff said. The meeting was described as “cordial,” he said.

No concerns were raised at the time and Honea said Thursday the meeting appeared to be a ruse for the suspect to gain access to the campus.

Litton attended a Seventh-day Adventist School near San Diego when he was a “young man,” and may have had a relative attend the school he targeted many years ago, the sheriff said.

However, authorities have not determined a “current connection” between Litton and the school in Oroville, he said.

Investigators were examining material written by the suspect that appeared to conflate American involvement in conflict in the Middle East with the church, Honea said.

Litton was first imprisoned in 1991 for theft and subsequently convicted of crimes including theft, fraud and forgery, Honea said.

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office has not had any contact with Litton since he was booked into the county jail for forgery and fraud charges in 2003, the sheriff said. Most recently, Litton was a suspect in the theft of a U-Haul pickup truck in Chico after he did not return the rental to the company, which reported it stolen to police, Honea said.

After he was located inside the stolen U-Haul truck, the sheriff said Litton was arrested on November 12 by the South San Francisco Police Department on an outstanding burglary warrant in San Bernardino County and fresh charges of being in possession of a forged license. Litton was then booked into the San Mateo County Jail and transferred to the county jail in San Bernadino.

The fake license had a photo of Litton along with a fraudulent name that he also used to make appointments to meet with officials at the school he targeted, Honea said.

On November 21, Litton was released by the court on his own recognizance after he pleaded not guilty. He was then picked up by a family member and taken back to Sacramento, Honea said.

The shooting

On Wednesday morning, Litton was in the vicinity of a motel in the Chico area, where he had been staying for a few nights at various motels, the sheriff said. He took a bus to Oroville, arriving around 8:30 a.m. and carrying a large duffel bag, he added.

Under another alias, Litton then called an Uber and was dropped off at the school campus just after noon, Honea said.

Litton’s meeting with the school principal centered around “what it would take for him to enroll his grandson in the school,” Honea said. He made up a fake story that his daughter moved to the area and wanted his grandson to attend the school, the sheriff said, as a ruse to set up an appointment to gain access to the campus after the meeting.

Outside surveillance footage shows Litton with his hand inside his jacket, near his waistband, where he was concealing his firearm, the sheriff said.

Children at the school were finishing up their noon break and were heading back to the classroom when Litton pulled out the firearm and initiated the attack, the sheriff said.

Within two minutes, a state highway patrol officer had arrived at the school, where a handgun was found near the body of the suspected shooter, he said.

Several minutes later, sheriff’s deputies arrived on campus and officers provided first aid to the two wounded students, Honea added.

Once the scene was secured, the remaining students were taken by bus to a nearby church to be reunited with their parents, the sheriff said.

Sixth grader Jocelyn’s father expressed his concerns about the shooting and the safety of his children attending a private school saying, “the presumption is that it’s the safest place a parent can send their child.”

Law enforcement agencies across the state were urged to “be vigilant” and ensure schools associated with the church are safe, Honea added.

“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.

Family reunification was ‘grief-filled event’

According to recent data, there are about 1.2 million Seventh-day Adventist members in the United States and Canada combined, and nearly 22 million followers worldwide.

There are more than 7,500 Seventh-day Adventist schools worldwide enrolling more than 1.8 million students.

The lead pastor of the Oroville Church of the Nazarene, Travis Marshall, told CNN the reunification process between children and parents at the church continued through Thursday morning and was “very emotional.”

The church received the first call from the sheriff’s office around 1:30 p.m., and 10 church representatives, along with dozens of county sheriffs came to the church to assist with reunification, according to Marshall.

“A lot of outbursts, praise and tears,” Marshall said. “A lot of hugging going on. Yesterday was one of those events where you get a shared sense of humanity.”

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey told the news conference his office was assisting the students and their families.

The community announced plans for a chili buffet fundraiser Monday to raise money for the families.

The co-founder and co-CEO of Sandy Hook Promise, Nicole Hockley, said, “An attack such as this goes against everything we stand for as a nation,” in a statement following the shooting. Hockley’s 6-year-old son Dylan was killed in the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

“In the wake of this shocking and senseless act, our hearts are with these two precious children and their families as they begin a long road ahead dealing with their trauma. We wish them strength and stand with them in solidarity, demanding answers as to why and how this happened,” Hockley said.