Feather River Adventist School saw tragedy hit on Dec. 4 when two students were shot, and their condition is unknown as of press time. Photo courtesy of Feather River Adventist School

PALERMO, CA (MPG) - Two Feather River Adventist School students were shot Dec. 4 by an unknown gunman, who, according to law enforcement officials, then died from a self-sustained gunshot wound.

The students, taken to the hospital with unknown injuries at press time, are a 5-year-old kindergarten boy and a 6-year-old kindergarten boy.

Shortly after 1 p.m. Dec. 4, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office received 911 calls about a possible gunman at Feather River Adventist School, located at 27 Cox Lane at Palermo between the communities of Oroville and Gridley. The school serves kindergarteners to eighth-graders.

At 1:50 p.m. Dec. 4, the Butte County Sheriff released the following statement on X: “The Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) is on scene of an active incident involving a shooting at Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Palermo. Students are being taken to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene, located at 2238 Monte Vista Ave., Oroville. Parents are asked to respond to the church to be reunified with their children. The suspected shooter is deceased. We will provide additional information once it’s available.”

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea confirmed that two children have been shot and were transported to the hospital, one by air. By 2:50 p.m., Feather River Adventist School children and staff were transported by the Oroville Union High School District to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene, which was set up as reunification center, by about 2:50 p.m.

Other schools in Gridley, Oroville and the Chico area were put on high alert for safety procedures, according to Sheriff Honea.

Among those agencies on scene Dec. 4 and investigating were the FBI, Butte County Sheriff’s Office, Sutter County Sherrif’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Gridley Police, Oroville Polie Department, Department of Fish & Game, Office of Emergency Services and CAL FIRE.

Highway 70 was shut down from East Gridley Road to Palermo Road. It remained shut down, as of 4 p.m. press time, as the investigation continued.

As of 4 p.m. Dec. 4, the shooter’s identity was not disclosed. However, Sheriff Honea did say that the gunman had an appointment with the principal that afternoon believed to enroll a child. When the gunman left the appointment, according to Honea, the principal heard gunshots and screams.

Honea also said during a press conference that the gunman was dropped off to the school that afternoon by an Uber driver. Anyone with information about the driver is asked to call the Butte County Sheriff’s Office at 530-538-7321.

Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) issued the following statement in response to the shooting: “My heart is breaking for everyone impacted by this tragedy. We will never understand why or how someone could do a thing like this. I am grateful for the bravery of the law enforcement, fire and medical personnel who responded to this attack to stop the shooter and rescue the victims. As a community, we’ll all be hugging our loved ones closer today as we pray for the victims and try to make sense of something so senseless.”

Feather River Adventist School is located on the corner of Cox Lane and Highway 70 in Oroville with an enrollment of 33 students. The K to 8th-grade school has been at its current location since 1965.