Community gathers, prays for ‘miracles’ for 2 boys wounded in California school shooting

A Northern California community bowed their heads around a towering tree bedecked in jumbo-sized ornaments to pray Friday for a Christmas miracle.

From the elderly to young, hundreds grasped hands as a Butte County Sheriff’s Office law enforcement chaplain in downtown Oroville led prayers and called upon God to fulfill their wishes: the full recovery of two kindergartners, ages 5 and 6 years old, who are fighting for their lives at a Sacramento-area hospital after a shooting Wednesday at a private, faith-based elementary school.

The vigil was not meant to express grief, as is often the case after a shooting.

“Tonight is a night of positivity,” said vigil organizer Stephanie Bever, who’s a grandmother to 13. “We’re going to lift those babies up. We came expecting miracles, and we won’t leave till we get them.”

Elias Wolford, 5, and Roman Mendez, 6, just returned to class after lunch recess about 1 p.m. Wednesday at Feather River Adventist School when a gunman fired a handgun before turning the weapon on himself. One boy was airlifted to a trauma center, while another was taken in an ambulance.

Both boys underwent multiple surgeries, including on Friday, and were listed in critical condition that evening, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.

“Please continue to keep them both in your thoughts and prayers,” the Sheriff’s Office said online.

A lone gunman, identified by sheriff’s officials as Glenn Litton, 56, booked an appointment at the school for a meeting with its principal to discuss enrolling his grandson. But the man did not have a grandson and had no intentions to enroll a student, giving the school a fake name to set up the meeting, Honea said.

“As it turns out, that was all a lie,” Honea said of the gunman’s “ruse” to set up the school meeting.

Litton appeared to target the school based on its affiliation with the Seventh-day Adventist faith, Honea said. Litton had also “researched” a school affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Red Bluff but appeared to choose the Feather River Adventist campus, along Highway 70 between Palermo and Gridley, about 60 miles north of Sacramento.

The tragedy sent fear and pain through the Seventh-day Adventist Church, through Butte County and beyond.

Vigil attendee Denise Cordova said her daughter called her to refrain from attending church after learning of the shooter’s apparent motive. But Cordova did attend and recalled how everyone, despite not being Adventist, prayed for the two little boys.

Butte County law enforcement chaplain Kenny Malone prayed for God to guide the hands of the surgeons and hospital staff in order to heal the boys.

“It’s a miracle that they’re alive,” Malone said. “But God, we’re going to ask you for another miracle of complete recovery.”

The families are seeking help to pay medical costs for both children. Elias’ grandmother established a GoFundMe while Roman’s family sought money to pay for medical costs on a separate fundraiser platform.

This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 5:41 PM.