2 children wounded in California school shooting

Two children were wounded in a shooting Wednesday at a small religious school in Northern California, according to the local sheriff’s office.

Law enforcement officials arrived on the scene to find the suspected gunman lying on the ground near the playground after apparently shooting himself, officials said. Officials confirmed he was deceased.

The children were taken to nearby hospitals, including one who was airlifted, but their conditions were not immediately known, The Associated Press reported. Their ages and genders were also not immediately made public.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said the shooter did not appear to have a connection to the school and that officials were working to identify him.  The motive was not immediately known.

The shooting took place at the Feather River School of Seventh-day Adventists, a K-8 school in Palermo, Calif., which is approximately 65 miles north of Sacramento.

As of January 2022, there were only 33 students enrolled in the school and five people on staff, according to its website, which notes that the school has been operational since 1965.

The Associated Press contributed.