Shooting at a Christian school in California
Law enforcement officers and first responders arrive at Feather River Adventist School in Oroville, where a suspected gunman shot two students Wednesday. (Credit: Fallon Ortiz/TMX)
The Shooter from California who shot and seriously injured two toddlers had a lengthy criminal history and significant mental health problems, authorities said Thursday.
Roman Mendez, 6, and Elias Wolford, 5, were identified by Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea as the two children injured in Wednesday’s shooting at Feather River Adventist School in Oroville, which has an enrollment of 35 students.
Mendez was shot twice and Wolford suffered one gunshot wound to the abdomen and will likely require multiple surgeries, the sheriff said.
“They have a long road ahead of them,” Honea said.
Glenn Litton had a long history of run-ins with the law and serious mental health problems, authorities said. (Butte County Police Department)
CALIFORNIA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL SHOOTS INJURED 2 BOYS, 5 AND 6; SUSPECTED GUNMAN DEAD
Authorities identified the shooter as Glenn Litton, 56, who most likely died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Litton used the alias Michael Sanders to make an appointment with the school principal just before the shooting to inquire about his grandson’s enrollment, investigators said.
Authorities believe the appointment was a ruse so Litton could gain access to the school’s campus. After the meeting, Litton fired a gun several times before fatally shooting himself, Honea said.
“Shortly after that meeting ended, the principal heard shots and yelling, and that is when they determined or discovered that the two students had been shot,” Honea said.
The Feather River Adventist School, where two students were shot Wednesday. (Google Maps)
Litton had no connection with the school, but as a child attended a school in nearby Paradise run by the same church.
After the shooting, investigators found disturbing writings, believed to be from Litton, that provided insight into a possible motive.
L-R: Roman Mendez and Elias Wolford are in critical condition, police say. (Butte County Sheriff’s Office)
One of them said: “Countermeasures have now been imposed by the International Alliance regarding child executions at the Seventh-day Adventist School in California, United States. I, Lieutenant Glenn Litton of the Alliance, implemented countermeasures as a necessary response to America’s involvement in genocide and oppression of Palestinians along with attacks on Yemen.”
Video footage shows Glenn Litton outside the school on December 4. (AP)
Honea described Litton as homeless and said he had a few mental health problems going back to the age of 16 years. He went on to say that he believes the writings were a result of the Troubles, saying that he “got information from different sources, and it all came together in his mind to create a reality that is untrue.”
Litton had a long time criminal history consisting of identity theft, fraud and counterfeiting. He served time in California State Prison for theft-related crimes in the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2015, he was sentenced to two years in prison for aggravated identity theft in Sacramento.
Litton’s first prison sentence was in 1991 for theft. He has since been convicted of several crimes, including robbery, identity theft and some drug charges, according to Butte County officials.
“His criminal behavior and prison sentences continued over the next several years, through November 12, when he was arrested near San Francisco for stealing a moving van and booked into the San Mateo County Jail,” officials said.
Video footage shows Glenn Litton outside the school on December 4. (AP)
He pleaded not guilty and was released on November 21, before heading to the Oroville area on December 4 to carry out the shooting.
Fox News Digital has contacted the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. In addition to local law enforcement, the FBI is involved in the research.
Commenting on the tragedy, Nicole Hockley, co-founder and co-CEO of Sandy Hook Promise and mother of Dylan Hockley, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, said this attack is shocking and senseless.
“An attack like this goes against everything we stand for as a nation. No one should ever have to deal with shootings in places where children should be safest. Each of us – especially children so young – has the right to be free from guns. This abhorrent act deserves no place in our society.”
Feather River Adventist School issued a statement on their website thanking the officers involved.
“We are grateful for the courageous officers of the Butte County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol who acted quickly to protect our students. We will continue to work closely with Sheriff Kory Honea and his team during this investigation,” the statement said.
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Butte County officials ask that the family be given privacy at this time, explaining that they are focusing on their children’s recovery.
“Please recognize that making sure their children are taken care of is the most important thing for them. And so I would ask on their behalf, based on what they told me, is that you respect their privacy and not intrude on an attempt to contact the parents,” officials said.
