Updated

Updated · The Guardian · Jun 24

Chico Library Shooting Kills 2 and Injures 1 Child as Police Cite 18-Year-Old's Columbine Homage

Updated

Updated · The Guardian · Jun 24

Chico Library Shooting Kills 2 and Injures 1 Child as Police Cite 18-Year-Old's Columbine Homage

Q: What drove a lone suspect to commit a deadly shooting inside a quiet Chico public library?

What drove the suspect remains unknown. As of the latest official updates, Chico police have not identified a motive, have not said whether the gunman knew the victims, and have not released evidence pointing to ideology, a personal grievance, or a random attack. What is established is the sequence of events. Police said 911 calls came in around 5:12 p.m. reporting gunfire inside the Butte County Library on Sherman Avenue, with callers hearing shots and screaming. Officers entered the building, the suspect fled out the back, and police arrested him without exchanging gunfire. Investigators believe he acted alone and used a single firearm, which was recovered. Two adults were killed and one juvenile suffered minor, non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities have withheld the victims’ identities pending family notification, and they have also not publicly identified the suspect. The library was open at the time, and surrounding streets were shut down as investigators processed the scene. Because no motive has been released, any explanation for what drove the shooting would be speculative. The most reliable answer is that investigators are still working to determine whether this was targeted, connected to a mental health crisis, or driven by some other personal factor. Chico police, assisted by the FBI and the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, have urged the public to rely on official updates while the investigation continues.

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 24

Two men died and a 7-year-old girl was wounded after Bradley Scott Sayer, 18, entered Chico’s only public library Monday, retrieved a shotgun from his car and opened fire shortly before closing.
Police said Sayer shot one victim at the entrance, then fired multiple rounds inside; officers arrived in under two minutes and took him into custody about four minutes after the first 911 call.
Jacob Hull, 46, was killed while protecting the girl, who was later released from hospital, and Robert Johnson, 74, also died in the attack.
Investigators said Sayer appeared to be emulating the 1999 Columbine massacre, wearing a “natural selection” T-shirt associated with one of its perpetrators.
Vigils outside the library underscored the shock in Chico, a city of about 107,000 where the branch had served as a key community refuge after the 2018 Camp fire.