Two students were shot on Wednesday afternoon at a religious private school in Butte County. While law enforcement secured the scene, uninjured students at the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists were taken to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene.
Outside the church, children waited with staff and sheriff’s deputies, and families discussed what had happened at the school. Pizzas, snacks, and gatorades lined the church wall, and staff with the Sheriff’s office pulled people aside for interviews.
Josh Orozco and his daughter Natalie sat together in front of the church. They said they knew one of the victims, the child of a good friend, and wanted to be there to support the community.
"[I’m] just in shock, just praying for the family," said Josh, who said a few of his children had attended the school.
Sylvia and Jerry Rosaasen’s grandson, 5, was one of the victims.
"I don't know anything about the situation other than little bits. We're praying for the whole vicinity,” said Sylvia. “We don't know motives, we have no idea. We feel sorry for him. We feel very sorry for him."
The couple said they had sent their own children to the school, which they called “marvelous” and “precious.”
Oroville Nazarene Church Pastor Travis Marshall assisted with family reunification on Wednesday. He called the scene heartbreaking.
“Just being able to be with parents as they pulled into the parking lot, waiting for news from the authorities and waiting for their children to come on a bus — just the anguish and the turmoil in their hearts broke my heart,” said Marshall. “We still feel the deep pain and one of the parents shared with me, ‘I'm just tired of this sort of thing. Why does this have to happen?’”
He added that his church is a Red Cross emergency shelter and is frequently mobilized during emergency situations.
“That’s something we’re committed to, and so we’re honored to be able to be hospitable to parents and families and to the authorities,” said Marshall.
Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey said he was at the scene soon after the shooting.
"One of the more sad pictures that will be in my mind: Outside a bathroom, a tiny pair of tennis shoes and blood into the bathroom. So that will stay with me for a while."
Ramsey said the DA’s Victims’ Services Bureau will be contacting parents and offering assistance. Ramsey said his office will support local law enforcement in their investigation.
“Certainly there’s an effort on right now to delve into his background and find out ‘why’. I mean, the big question is ‘why?’,” said Ramsey.
At a Wednesday night community briefing, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said he was “still operating on adrenaline” but said he found it hard to process that the region was experiencing another major tragedy.
“This community has endured so much over the last few years,” he said. “It's hard to believe we're back here again, but I can assure you that we're going to do everything we possibly can to figure out why this individual did the things he did.”
As pastor, Marshall has been witness to the grief that Honea described.
“Butte County is a very special place and there's so many families that are experiencing so much brokenness and trial and grief — whether it be from the many fires, floods, and now this,” he said.“ You get a sense of exhaustion.”
Honea and other first responders are expected to provide another update on the incident at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
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