The mentally-ill man who shot and wounded two kindergartners at a California school before turning the gun on himself believed he was taking “countermeasure involving child executions” in response to “America’s involvement with genocide and oppression of Palestinians.”
Glenn Litton, 56, has been identified as the gunman who entered the campus of Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists, claiming he was there to discuss enrolling his grandchild, before opening fire. The sheriff said that Litton’s actions were politically driven. A typed note found on his body suggested that he believed the Seventh-Day Adventist Church was responsible for “genocide” and “oppression” of Palestinians, as well as American military actions in Yemen.
Chilling Note of a Maniac
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Litton, a former student of Paradise Adventist School and possibly related to a past attendee of Feather River, had a “lengthy criminal history and mental health issues,” according to authorities. His record included convictions for theft, fraud, and forgery, but no history of violent crimes. Officials also noted that Litton was believed to be homeless.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea confirmed that a ghost gun was recovered at the scene. As a convicted felon, Litton was prohibited from legally owning firearms.
The two young victims, identified as 6-year-old Roman Mendez and 5-year-old Elias Wolfhard, are in critical but stable condition, according to Honea.
Crowdfunding campaigns have been launched to support the victims and their families. A GoFundMe page for Wolfhard describes how the shooter’s bullets “went through his chest and abdomen, piercing and nicking multiple organs before exiting.”
Wolfhard, one of the victims, was airlifted to a nearby hospital and is currently on a ventilator as he awaits surgery.
A GiveSendGo page created for Mendez does not specify the extent of his injuries but describes his condition as “critical.” According to KCRA, Mendez is suffering from internal injuries.
“The fact that they are currently still with us is a miracle,’ Honea said of the children, adding they will likely face additional surgeries and ‘have a very long road ahead of them, in terms of recovery.”
History of Mental Illness
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Law enforcement has tracked Litton’s history of mental health struggles back to his teenage years, though Sheriff Honea noted that no definitive diagnosis has been uncovered by investigators.
Butte County District Attorney Michael L. Ramsey revealed that in recent years, Litton had made online searches related to firearms and explosives and had written notes outlining plans for an unspecified mass incident.
“It was just ruminations,” the prosecutor explained.
In his writings, Litton claimed to be a lieutenant for an organization he called The International Alliance. However, Honea said that investigations have found no evidence of such an organization existing. “There’s nothing we’ve found no information to believe that this organization has some kind of military structure,” he added.
In his writings, Litton described carrying out “counter-measures” against the school as a reaction to the United States’ involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts, according to the sheriff.
“That´s a motivation that was in his mind. How it was that he conflated what´s going on in Palestine and Yemen with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, I can´t speculate. I´m not sure that we´ll ever know that,” Honea said.
Honea also revealed that Litton had arranged a similar appointment at another Seventh-Day Adventist school for Thursday.
Ramsey said that Litton’s severe mental health issues were first documented by federal probation officials in 2015, with records tracing these challenges back to age 16.
On Thursday, the school remained closed as sheriff’s deputies patrolled the campus behind locked gates, while staff members removed classroom materials and loaded them into their vehicles.