By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-06 04:49:15 | Updated at 2024-12-22 11:47:49
2 weeks ago
The mentally ill gunman who shot and wounded two kindergarteners at a small California school Wednesday wrote that he was deploying a “countermeasure involving child executions” in response to “America’s involvement with genocide and oppression of Palestinians,” in a twisted note he left behind.
The shooter who turned the gun on himself after opening fire in the playground of the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists was identified Thursday as Glenn Litton, a 56-year-old homeless man who was sprung from jail just two days before the shooting, according to police.
Litton, who was pronounced dead at the Oroville school, had a long history of mental health issues, alarming criminal behavior, and past stints in prison, Butte County officials said at a press conference Thursday.
Cops believe his deranged writings — in which he called himself a lieutenant of “the international alliance” — stemmed from his compromised mental state.
“Countermeasure involving child executions has now been imposed at the Seventh Day Adventist school in CA, U.S. by the international alliance,” he wrote in the disturbing note recovered by investigators.
“I, Lieutenant Glenn Litton of the alliance carried out countermeasure in necessitated response to America’s involvement with genocide and oppression of Palestinians along with attacks towards Yemen.”
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea characterized those writings as delusions coming from his mental illness, saying he “pulled information from various sources, and it all came together in his mind to create a reality that is false.”
Litton – who attended a separate Seventh Day Adventist school when he was young – critically wounded two boys, 5 and 6, who attended the school of just 35 students.
Days before the attack, the shooter had scheduled a meeting with the Feather River School’s principal and arrived for the meeting Wednesday using a false name under the pretense of enrolling his grandson in the school.
But he had no grandson, police noted, and shortly after the meeting he stormed into the school’s playground and opened fire on students as they returned to class.
Litton has been in and out of prison since he was a juvenile, Butte County officials said.
His record largely consisted of incidents of theft, identity theft, and some drug charges.
But in an alarming 2002 incident, he was caught with disguises, a bullet-proof vest, shackles, and walkie-talkies and had made internet searches officials said indicated he was planning some kind of mass-violence attack using guns and explosives.
The next year he was sentenced to eight years for 12 counts of forgery, ID theft, and theft over that incident – but was let loose three years later in 2006.
His criminal behavior and prison stints continued over the following years, all the way up until Nov. 12 when he was arrested near San Francisco for stealing a moving truck, and was booked into the San Mateo County jail.
He was released on his own recognizance from the San Bernadino jail after pleading not guilty to separate burglary charges on November 21, and made his way to the Oroville area before carrying out the shooting on December 4.
The weapon he used in the attack appeared to be a “ghost gun” assembled from various parts, police said.
He had also been considering an attack on a separate Seventh Day Adventist location, police said, but for unknown reasons ultimately settled on the Feather River school.
The two boys wounded in the attack have been identified as kindergarteners named Elias and Roman.
Elias, 5, was shot through the chest and abdomen and remains in critical but stable condition.
“The bullet went through his chest and abdomen, piercing and nicking multiple organs before exiting,” little Elias’ grandparents, Monte and Debbie Wolford wrote.
“He was airlifted to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to stop the bleeding.”
“He is currently sedated and on a ventilator in PICU, awaiting additional surgery,” they added.
Roman – a six-year-old with a twin brother – was also struck, and is also in critical but stable condition, according to his sister Vanessa, who wrote on Facebook that the boy 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,” she added.
Sheriff Honea called it a “miracle” the boys were alive.
“They have a very long road ahead of them. It’s very likely that they are going to have to have a number of surgeries. The fact that they are still with us is a miracle itself.”
