The Butte County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect at a 3 p.m. Thursday news conference.
PALERMO, Calif. — UPDATE: Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea identified the shooting suspect Thursday afternoon as Glenn Litton. Officials described him as a homeless man with a long list of priors.
Sheriff Honea said Litton spent time between Sacramento and the Chico area, but the last time the Butte County Sheriff’s Office had contact with him was more than 20 years ago when he was booked on fraud charges.
His criminal history includes theft, fraud and forgery going back to the 90s and early 00s. Officials said he had clear mental health issues going back to the age of 16.
Deputies believe the school was possibly targeted due to its affiliation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Sheriff Honea said there was written information that came from Litton, possibly explaining why he chose this school. Citing the written text, he said the shooter thought he was taking countermeasures toward America’s involvement over Palestine and a tax toward Yemen.
Sheriff Honea pointed toward Litton’s history of mental health issues, and it isn’t clear how he conflated the ongoing conflicts in Palestine and Yemen with the church.
An investigation is ongoing after a gunman opened fire at a small religious school in Palermo Wednesday, seriously wounding two kindergartners before he reportedly shot and killed himself.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office is working with the FBI to piece together what led up to the shooting and what the shooter was doing in the days before. They plan to provide a further update on the investigation Thursday at 3 p.m.
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 a prior connection to the victims or the school, according to Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea. He didn’t explain further.
“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,” he said.
The wounded children, boys ages 5 and 6, are kindergartners at the school and were being treated at a trauma center in the Sacramento area, officials said.
“I am thankful that they’re still alive, but they’ve got a long road ahead of them,” Honea said.
WHAT WE KNOW
The shooting happened shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday 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 California Highway Patrol was the first to arrive at the scene and was guided by school staff to the area where the suspected gunman was. He said it appears the gunman shot and killed himself. A gun was found nearby and secured by authorities. First aid was also provided to the wounded students.
Citing the preliminary investigation, he said the suspect possibly came onto campus to meet with an administrator about enrolling a student. Deputies haven’t confirmed whether he actually wanted to enroll a student or used it as a ruse to get onto the campus.
According to Honea, the administrator said there was no reason to be concerned based on the meeting and described the meeting as “cordial.” However, he said not long after the meeting, the administrator heard shots being fired and screams.
The remaining students were taken to the school gym until a bus arrived to take them to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene on Monte Vista Avenue.
Honea said law enforcement believe they know who the shooter is, but they are not releasing his identity with interviews still going on.
Local and state leaders responded to the shooting, calling for support of those impacted and a need to address the issues surrounding gun violence.
“We are actively monitoring the shooting in Oroville. The state is coordinating with local officials, and state law enforcement are on the ground and assisting local law enforcement. Our hearts go out to the Oroville community, and the students, school staff, and families impacted by this horrific act of gun violence.”
The gunman was dropped off at the school by a rideshare service, and Honea says the driver of the car has been located and was interviewed by investigators.