Law enforcement officials identified on Thursday the alleged gunman who injured two children at a faith-based school in Butte County, California, before fatally shooting himself on Wednesday.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea identified the alleged shooter as Glenn Litton, 56, who reportedly had a lengthy criminal history dating back to his teens and who may have lacked a permanent residence.
Litton allegedly used an alias to enter Feather River Adventist School near Oroville on Wednesday shortly after noon to talk with the principal about enrolling his grandson.
The private school is run by the Northern California Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists.
Honea said school staff described the meeting on Wednesday as “cordial,” and that it did not raise any concerns.
Honea said investigators had determined that while Litton has a daughter, he does not have a grandson and that that information may have just been a ruse to gain access to the campus.
According to Honea, investigators found “writings” from Litton that read: “Countermeasures involving child executions has now been imposed at the Seventh Day Adventist School in California, United States by the International Alliance. I, Lieutenant Glenn Litton of the Alliance carried out countermeasure in necessitated response to Americas involvement with Genocide and Oppression of Palestinians along with attacks towards Yemen.”
Honea said deputies and federal investigators have not determined if that group exists but asked the public to share any information about it if they have it.
“How it was that he conflated what’s going on in Palestine and Yemen with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, I can’t speculate. I’m not sure that we’ll ever know that,” Honea said.
Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey said a federal probation office noted in 2015 that Litton was mentally ill and that he possibly had been since he was a teen, although officials had not confirmed any diagnosis.
Honea also said that Litton did not appear to have any current connection to the school, although as a boy, Litton did attend a school run by the same church in nearby Paradise.
Over several decades, Litton was involved in “criminal matters” throughout California, including spending time in prison for theft and being convicted of forgery, identity theft and theft in Butte County in 2003. He served several years in prison before being released in 2006, Honea said.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel said Litton also pleaded guilty in August 2015 to aggravated identity theft in California, and he pleaded the same to similar charges in Nevada the following year, ultimately serving two years in prison for those sentences.
Police are still trying to gather more information on Litton, asking the public to call 530-538-7322 or 1-800-CALLFBI. Tips can also be sent to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.
In November, Litton was allegedly arrested in South San Francisco on theft charges and sent to San Bernardino County, where he had a warrant for burglary. He was later released on his own recognizance and made his way back to Chico.
Recently, he was staying in hotels in the Chico area, Honea said, adding that Litton was “best described as being homeless,” and that he was spending time between Sacramento and Chico.
As a convicted felon, Litton was not legally allowed to own firearms. After Wednesday’s shooting, responding officers found a handgun near his body.
According to Honea, it was a ghost gun, and Litton had arranged a similar appointment to supposedly enroll a family member at another school in Red Bluff run by the same church.
