The suspected shooter of two children at a small religious school in Palermo, Calif. has been identified as a man with a long history of both mental health issues and crimes, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea, at a press conference, provided several updates to the “active, ongoing investigation” — including identifying the gunman as Glenn Litton, 56. The children who were injured were still in “critical, but stable condition” at a Sacramento-area hospital, he said.
The victims were identified as Roman Mendez, 6, and 5-year-old Elias Wolford. Mendez was shot twice and suffered internal injuries. Wolford was shot once in the abdomen.
Honea said it was likely both boys would need multiple additional surgeries.
“They have a very long road ahead of them in terms of recovery,” the sheriff said. He added that both families were asking for privacy and not speaking to the press.
The press conference released more details about Litton, however, who Honea said was “best described as homeless,” and spent time between Sacramento and Chico.
He has a lengthy history of mental health issues and a lengthy criminal history including convictions for theft, fraud and forgery, the sheriff said.
This year alone, Litton has been arrested for allegedly stealing from a cash register on his second day of work at a CVS and suspected of stealing a U-Haul pickup truck. After he was arrested in the U-Haul, officers found a fake driver’s license with the name Michael Sanders — the name he used to make his appointment at the Feather River school prior to the shooting, the sheriff said.
The appointment — about enrolling his grandson at the school — was “a ruse to gain access to the kids,” Honea said.
“As it turned out that was all a lie,” the sheriff said, since Litton does not have a grandson.
The suspect died at the scene, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot.
Honea said it was believed Litton targeted the school because of its connection to the Seventh-Day Adventists.
A note was found on his body that described his actions as “countermeasures involving child executions” for the church’s alleged involvement in “genocide’” and “oppression” in Palestine and Yemen.
The note also claimed Litton was a lieutenant in an organization called “The International Alliance.” However, Honea said there was no evidence of such a group existing and referred again to Litton’s history of mental health issues. He asked for anyone with information about Litton’s motivations to come forward.
“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.
Honea added that there was evidence Litton may have also targeted a Seventh-Day Adventist church in Red Bluff — about 60 miles northwest.
The sheriff said Litton had attended a Seventh-Day Adventist school in Paradise, Calif. as a child but there was no current connection between Litton and the targeted schools.