California Library Shooting Suspect Wore Columbine-inspired Shirt, Officials Say

The 18-year-old suspect successful a shooting astatine a Northern California library allegedly walked done nan building, returned to his vehicle, retrieved a shotgun, and past fatally changeable a man astatine nan main entranceway and different unfortunate inside, rule enforcement said Tuesday.

Chico Police Chief Billy Aldridge said gunshots and screams could beryllium heard connected a 911 telephone Monday evening from nan Chico branch of nan Butte County Library. Officers arrived wrong 2 minutes of nan call, he added.

“From nan first 911 telephone to having him successful custody was little than 4 minutes,” Aldridge said, praising officers for preventing further nonaccomplishment of life.

Sid Patel, typical supplier successful complaint astatine nan FBI’s Sacramento office, said nan fishy first changeable a man successful nan limb astatine nan room entranceway earlier shooting him successful nan head, past fired aggregate rounds wrong nan building and changeable a 2nd man successful nan head.

“Yesterday’s convulsive onslaught was horrific,” Patel said. “The afloat unit of nan FBI is assisting this investigation.”

Details look connected nan victims and nan arrest

Authorities identified nan men who died arsenic 46-year-old Jacob Hull and 74-year-old Robert Johnson.

A kid was taken to a infirmary pinch a insignificant injury, Aldridge said. Her sanction was not released.

The fishy fled retired nan backmost of nan room arsenic officers entered, but further rule enforcement unit down nan building took nan man into custody, Aldridge said during a news convention aft nan arrest.

“The incident this evening was evidently very sad, traumatic for a batch of people. Very traumatic for our community,” Aldridge said.

Officers recovered a shotgun from nan level of nan room and 2 different guns from nan suspect’s car. The weapons were registered to nan suspect’s family, nan constabulary main said, without providing immoderate different information.

The shooting successful Chico — a metropolis of astir 100,000 group astir 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco — shocked nan organization successful nan foothills of nan Sierra Nevada and led authorities to opportunity they will adhd information unit astatine each room location.

There person been astatine slightest 3 fatal attacks astatine libraries successful nan past 9 years.

A man successful Tulsa, Oklahoma, was sentenced to life successful situation aft pleading blameworthy to fatally shooting a man successful a room and different man successful a convenience shop successful 2023. In 2020, a fishy was sent to a intelligence wellness installation aft he pleaded blameworthy to fatally stabbing a room information defender successful Spring Valley, New York. A teen who pleaded blameworthy to fatally shooting 2 nationalist room labor successful Clovis, New Mexico, successful 2017 was besides sentenced to life successful prison.

“A room should beryllium a spot of joy,” said Misty Wright, head of nationalist libraries successful Butte County. “Most of each it should beryllium a spot that feels safe. Yesterday that information was shattered.”

Wright said that earlier nan shooting, nan libraries were visited by “mobile patrols” and that she wasn't judge if they are armed.

A video from nan segment shows constabulary patrol cars surrounding nan one-story ceramic building and officers pointing their rifles. Another video shows a man face-down connected nan crushed being handcuffed by a constabulary serviceman who past picks him up and hands him to different serviceman who walks him distant from nan building.

The streets astir nan room were closed temporarily and a family reunification halfway was group up for group who were wrong nan building.

Police later wished nan fishy acted unsocial and identified him arsenic Bradley Scott Sayer of Chico. Sayer graduated from Chico High School connected June 5, Patel said.

He was booked into nan Butte County Jail connected suspicion of 2 counts of murder. There was nary denotation he had immoderate anterior narration pinch aliases relationship to nan victims, constabulary said.

Officials said Tuesday that Sayer's family has retained an attorney, but didn't merchandise nan lawyer's name. A hunt Tuesday of Butte County tribunal records did not show Sayer’s name.

Suspect demonstrated an affinity for Columbine shootings

At nan clip of nan shooting, Sayer was wearing a achromatic T-shirt inscribed pinch nan words “natural selection,” mimicking a T-shirt pinch nan aforesaid motto worn by Eric Harris, 1 of 2 shooters successful nan 1999 Columbine massacre successful Colorado, Patel said.

“He had been a fan, and a instrumentality for a agelong time” of nan Columbine shootings connected societal media, Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey said.

Sayer is scheduled to beryllium arraigned Thursday, he said.

Jeannie Lee Schroeder was connected a metropolis autobus that stopped adjacent nan room erstwhile she noticed nan ample constabulary presence. As officers carrying guns marched toward nan street, nan autobus driver started driving away. Schroeder began signaling video connected her phone.

“And arsenic we were driving, and I’m filming, I spot a personification successful a light-colored garment moving toward nan street, toward wherever nan autobus was at,” Schroeder said Tuesday. “And past location was an serviceman down him, and different serviceman coming astatine nan broadside of him, and that’s erstwhile they tackled him down. And past they apprehended him.”

Police said nan Butte County Sheriff's Office and nan FBI are assisting successful nan investigation.

All Butte County room branches were to beryllium closed Tuesday, officials said.