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Prayers continue to pour in for a pair of Kindergarten students who were shot after a gunman opened fire at their Christian school earlier this week.
The shooting took place Wednesday afternoon at Feather River Adventist School in California.
The Butte County Sheriff's Department began receiving calls about the shooting shortly after 1 p.m. Officers quickly attended to the scene where they found two wounded students and the suspect dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The victims were identified as Roman Mendez,6, and Elias Wolford,5, both were shot while playing in the playground of their school. Mendez sustained two gunshot wounds resulting in internal injuries. Wolford was shot once in the abdomen. They both remain in critical but stable condition.
Mendez's sister Vanessa made a post on her Facebook page on Thursday.
"As many of you may know, my little brothers were involved in a devastating school shooting and one is now fighting through unimaginable circumstances," said Vanessa. "Roman, my 6-year-old brother, is in critical condition but is showing incredible strength. His recent surgeries have been successful, but he still has more to come and a challenging recovery ahead. We are grateful for the amazing medical team working tirelessly to help him heal."
"Please keep him, our family, and all the other children and families affected in your thoughts and prayers. During this difficult time, I am trying to keep my other little brother’s spirits up as we navigate this together."
Meanwhile, Wolford's Grandmother thanked people for their support.
"Thank you so much for your overwhelming love, concerns and prayers for our grandson Elias… he is in critical condition but stable with another operation in the future."
The suspect has been identified as Glenn Litton, 56. He has a lengthy criminal history and mental health issues. He was last in prison for forgery and fraud charges in 2003.
According to the Butte County Sheriff's Department, prior to the shooting, Litton met with school staff using the name “Michael Sanders,” and under the guise that he was interested in enrolling a child into the school. The staff then gave him a tour of the school. After concluding the tour, Litton walked towards the bathroom, which is when staff heard gunshots and screaming.
The Butte County Sheriff's Department released details of his motivation. In a statement, Litton said he carried out countermeasures in necessitated response to America's involvement with Genocide and Oppression of Palestinians along with attacks towards Yemen.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the Wolfrod family as they move forward in his care. Meanwhile, a second fundraiser has been set up for the Mendez family as they face the road ahead of them.