PALERMO – Authorities say a suspect is dead and two students are hurt after a shooting at a school in the Northern California community of Palermo on Wednesday.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office says the incident happened around 1 p.m. at the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists.
A man was found by deputies with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, with the sheriff’s office confirming that the suspected shooter had died. Two students were also found shot; their conditions were not known at this time, the sheriff’s office says, but both have been taken to local hospitals and were receiving treatment as of Wednesday evening.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said one student was a 5-year-old boy and the other was a 6-year-old boy.
The suspect has not been identified at this time.
Honea said the suspect was dropped off by someone driving a gray four-door sedan. That vehicle took off from the scene toward Highway 70 and it’s under investigation if a rideshare dropped him off.
Honea also added that investigators are looking into reports that the suspect had an appointment at the school a few days ago with an administrator. The reports indicate the suspect then showed up again Wednesday trying to enroll a child but deputies don’t believe a child was with him.
After the meeting with the principal on Wednesday, the principal then heard gunshots, Honea said.
The students were taken to the gymnasium until authorities could bring school buses to the scene. They were then taken to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene at 2238 Monte Vista Avenue where they were reunited with their families.
The shooting appears to be isolated to the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists, but Honea said he provided other law enforcement agencies in California with information to be vigilant when it comes to Seventh-Day Adventist schools.
Due to the investigation, the California Highway Patrol is diverting northbound traffic on Highway 70 at E. Gridley Road west to Highway 99. Southbound Highway 70 is also closed at Power House Hill Road, with traffic being diverted to Lone Tree Road.
The school serves about 35 students from kindergarten to eighth grade.
The FBI has responded to help the Butte County Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.
Palermo is a town about 25 miles north of Marysville and 65 miles north of Sacramento.
