Two students injured in California school shooting, gunman dead

A gunman opened fire at a small religious school in Northern California, wounding two students before shooting himself dead, authorities said.

The shooting occurred at the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Palermo, a rural community about 65 miles north of Sacramento. The school serves students from kindergarten to eighth grade.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said the gunman shot and wounded two students, aged 5 and 6, before turning the gun on himself. The students were taken to hospitals in unknown condition.

Kory Honea said the gunman's motive was unknown, but investigators believe the school was targeted due to its affiliation with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

"We have received some information that leads us to believe that the subject responsible for the shooting targeted this school because of its affiliation with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church," Kory Honea said.

Local officials sent a statewide alert to warn other schools affiliated with the church, and officers were sent to Seventh-Day Adventist schools in nearby cities as a precautionary measure.

The Feather River School has about 35 students, and all were accounted for and safe, Kory Honea said. The school was evacuated, and students were taken to a nearby church to be reunited with their families.

The shooting occurred shortly after 1 p.m. local time, and the gunman was found dead at the scene with a handgun near his body.

Authorities are investigating the shooting and working to determine the gunman's motive.

"This is a tragic incident that has shaken our community," Kory Honea said. "We will do everything in our power to support the families affected and to ensure that our schools remain safe."