Two children, ages 5 and 6, wounded and gunman dead after shooting at Northern California school

OROVILLE, Calif. -- Two young boys were wounded and the suspected gunman is dead after a shooting at a Christian grammar school in Northern California on Wednesday, authorities said.

The two boys, ages 5 and 6, were both taken to the hospital, where they were last listed in critical condition.

Authorities in Butte County, California, responded to a 911 call for reports of an active shooter at the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventist in the county around 1 p.m. local time and engaged with the unidentified man who was opening fire, Sheriff Kory Honea told reporters.

The sheriff said the suspected shooter had met with the principal earlier in the day to discuss enrolling a student at the school, which teaches kindergarten to 8th grade and has a total of 35 students, according to Honea. A few minutes later, screams and shots rang out.

The suspect, who was armed with a handgun, was soon found dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to investigators.

One of the wounded students was airlifted to a hospital.

The sheriff told reporters that authorities believe they know the shooter's identity and that he may have targeted the school because of its affiliation with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

"We're still trying to determine what is fact and what is rumor, and it takes a while to do that," Honea said.

The sheriff said the shooter was dropped off at the school by an Uber. He asked anyone with information to come forward.

The sheriff's office is leading the investigation into the shooting. The FBI is assisting.

After the shooting, the other students at the school were transported to a local church where they would be reunited with their parents, the sheriff's office said.

Butte County is located about 65 miles north of Sacramento.