2 Kindergarten Students in ‘Extremely Critical Condition’ After Shooting at Calif. School: 'Long Road Ahead of Them'

• Two kindergarten students, ages 5 and 6, are in "extremely critical condition" following a shooting at Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists just outside of Oroville, Calif., the Butte County Sheriff's Office confirmed in a news conference on Wednesday, Dec. 4

• "I'm thankful that they are still alive, but they have a long road ahead of them," Sheriff Kory L. Honea told reporters of the victims

• The suspect was found dead at the scene, authorities confirmed

Two kindergarten students are in "extremely critical condition" following a shooting at a school in California, authorities have confirmed.

On Wednesday, Dec. 4 at approximately 1:08 p.m. local time, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) responded to 911 calls amid reports of an active shooter on campus at the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists just outside of Oroville, Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea said in a press briefing shared on Facebook.

The call was then transferred to the sheriff's office approximately a minute later and deputies were dispatched.

Upon arrival shortly afterward, a CHP officer "located an adult male" on campus. "That subject was deceased," Honea said, adding that he appeared to have a "self-inflicted gunshot wound."

The officer located a handgun near the man's body and "secured that firearm," Honea told reporters.

Honea confirmed two kindergarten students, both boys, ages 5 and 6, had sustained gunshot wounds in the shooting and had immediately received medical aid.

The sheriff added that officers "began to search the campus and classrooms to ensure that there were no other individuals to pose a threat to the students or the faculty."

"They are currently in extremely critical condition, they are being treated by the medical staff" at a local hospital, the sheriff said of the victims' condition.

"I'm thankful that they are still alive, but they have a long road ahead of them, and I certainly hope that you'd all keep them in your thoughts and prayers as we move forward," Honea added to reporters.

The Sheriff said that a school bus was eventually brought to campus and about 35 students in total were transported to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene, which is where they were reunited with parents and family members.

He added that a "complex" investigation had been launched, with help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), adding that officers "believe [they have] identified the subject responsible for the shooting." The suspect has not yet been named.

"We have received some information that he made an appointment to come to the school and meet with an administrator. His statement to school officials was that he wanted to explore the possibility of enrolling a family member as a student at the school," Honea shared, adding that the suspect did have a "cordial" meeting and that no concerns were raised at the time.

Honea said officers are working to figure out whether the meeting was legitimate or whether it was a "ruse" to get onto the campus.

"After that meeting is when the shooting occurred and then subsequently it appears as though he took his own life," the sheriff continued, adding that they believe the suspect may have "targeted" the school because of its "affiliation with the Seventh-Day Adventists church."

He also said he believes that at this stage the shooting was an "isolated incident," but alerts have been sent out. Honea then told reporters that the individual had arrived in an Uber, stating that the driver was now being interviewed.

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The Northern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists has said it's been “deeply saddened” by the shooting in a statement shared by CNN.

“Join us as we lift up these children and their families in prayer,” the message read. “We are grateful for the brave officers of the Butte County Sheriff’s Department who acted quickly to protect our students.”

The Northern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and the Butte County Sheriff's Office didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.

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