2 children injured, gunman killed in California school shooting

Two children were shot dead by a gunman who opened fire at an elementary school in Northern California Wednesday before he took his own life, the Butte County sheriff said.

The incident occurred at the Feather River School of Seventh-day Adventists near Palermo around 1 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.

The shooter, a man, is not believed to be associated with the school, Sheriff Kory L. Honea told reporters at the scene.

The two children with gunshot wounds were taken to hospitals and one of them was airlifted, he said. Her health status, age and gender were not disclosed.

Honea called the shooting “both horrific and tragic.”

Emergency calls from the school reported that a person was shooting at students on campus, Honea said.

“When we arrived we found an individual, an adult male,” Honea said. “He was lying on the ground and appeared to have sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

Honea did not have the shooter’s identity when he informed reporters. Investigators have a possible identification of the shooter and are working to confirm it, he said.

“We are still very, very early in this investigation. There are still many unknown questions and answers that we are trying to get,” said Honea.

Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists is a K-8 school with about 35 students, Honea said. The students were taken to Oroville Church of the Nazarene to be reunited with their parents.

The school is located in Butte County, south of the city of Oroville and near Palermo, about 60 miles north of Sacramento.

Sid Patel, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Sacramento office, said the office is providing “support to help our partners and the community during this challenging time.”