Two kindergartners wounded in last week’s school shooting in Palermo, California, are recovering.
Action News Now reported that Roman Mendez, 6, and Elias Wolford, 5, came out of surgery and are “showing signs of improvement.”
“A little 5-year-old gets shot with a nine millimeter and survived, it’s a miracle,” Wolford’s aunt, Tawnee Preisner, said. “This has shattered his childhood, he’s still in really critical condition. All those other kids that were in the school. This is all very traumatic. One thing that is really devastating too, they were targeted because of their religion. Nobody should ever have to go through this.”
Last week, the two children were shot at Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Palermo, California. The gunman, 56-year-old Glenn Litton, then fatally shot himself.
Authorities identified Litton’s motive as protesting the “genocide” and “oppression” of Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war. Litton had a note attached to his body that blamed the Seventh-Day Adventist Church for “genocide,” according to The Daily Mail.
Wolford’s family created a GoFundMe to pay for the child’s medical expenses. “The bullet went through his chest and abdomen, piercing and nicking multiple organs before exiting. He was airlifted to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to stop the bleeding,” the campaign reads, adding, “We are overwhelmed by the great outpouring of love, concern and especially prayers. You cannot know how much it means that there are hundreds, if not thousands, lifting Elias up before our Heavenly Father. Thank you.”
A GiveSendGo campaign was also created for Roman.
