Gunman who shot 2 kindergarteners used war in Gaza as motive: Police

Authorities are releasing new information in the case of a man who shot two kindergarteners on Wednesday, Dec. 4, in northern California. Investigators said on Thursday, Dec. 5, the gunman who wounded the children before fatally shooting himself left behind a note revealing his motive.

Investigators say 56-year-old Glenn Litton wrote in the note he intended the shooting to be a “countermeasure involving child executions” for “America’s involvement with genocide and oppression of Palestinians.”

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea described the writings as delusions stemming from Litton’s mental illness and said that the information he “pulled from various sources” created a false reality in Litton’s mind.

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Authorities say Litton attended a Seventh Day Adventist school as a child. However, it wasn’t the school where the attack occurred.

Honea noted, Litton had a long history of mental health problems and was in and out of prison.

“He has a lengthy criminal history and history of mental health issues. His first prison sentence was in 1991 for theft, several other convictions for other crimes to include theft, fraud, forgery in the 90s and early 2000s,” Honea said.

Police said Litton had an incident in 2002 where he was caught with disguises, bulletproof vests and walkie-talkies. Authorities say they later found through Litton’s internet searches that he had been plotting a mass attack using guns and explosives.

Investigators say shortly before the attack, Litton met with the school’s principal under a false name under the guise he was enrolling his grandson in the school. However, police said he doesn’t have a grandson.

Law enforcement said afterward, Litton opened fire on students on the school’s playground, severely injuring two boys.

“The boys are both in critical condition,” Honea said. “They have a very long road ahead in terms of recovery. It’s very likely that they are going to have a number of surgeries going forward, but the fact that they are currently with us, I think, is a miracle, and something that we should all be thankful for.”

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Investigators believe Litton used a so-called “ghost gun” in the shooting that he put together using various parts.