California Library Shooter Cased the Building Before Returning With a Shotgun, Killing Two, Police Say

An 18-year-old suspect in a deadly shooting at a Northern California library scouted the building first, then retrieved a shotgun from his vehicle and opened fire, killing two men, authorities said Tuesday.

Chico Police Chief Billy Aldridge said the attack at the Butte County Library’s Chico branch unfolded rapidly Monday evening. A 911 call captured the sound of gunfire and screams, and officers arrived within two minutes, he added.

“From the first 911 call to having him in custody was less than 4 minutes,” Aldridge said, crediting officers with preventing further loss of life.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel said the suspect shot a 46-year-old man in the leg at the library entrance, then shot him in the head, before firing multiple rounds inside and fatally shooting a 74-year-old man in the head.

“Yesterday’s violent attack was horrific,” Patel said. “The full force of the FBI is assisting this investigation.”

Authorities identified the victims as Jacob Hull, 46, and Robert Johnson, 74. A child was taken to a hospital with minor injuries; her name has not been released.

The suspect fled through the back of the library as officers entered, but was taken into custody by officers positioned behind the building, Aldridge said at a news conference.

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

Investigators recovered a shotgun from the library floor and two additional guns from the suspect’s car. The weapons were registered to the suspect’s family, the police chief said, without offering further details.

The shooting in Chico — a city of about 100,000 located 150 miles northeast of San Francisco and home to California State University, Chico — has left the community shaken. In response, officials said they would add security personnel at every library location in the county.

At least three other fatal attacks have occurred at U.S. libraries in the past nine years, a trend that underscores growing concerns about safety in public spaces. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a man was sentenced to life in prison for a 2023 shooting that killed a library patron. In 2020, a suspect was committed to a mental health facility after fatally stabbing a library security guard in Spring Valley, New York. And in 2017, a teenager received life in prison for shooting two public library employees in Clovis, New Mexico.

“A library should be a place of joy,” said Misty Wright, director of Butte County public libraries. “Most of all it should be a place that feels safe. Yesterday that safety was shattered.”

Wright noted that the libraries had “mobile patrols” prior to the incident, though she was unsure if they were armed.

Video from the scene showed police patrol cars surrounding the one-story brick building, with officers pointing rifles toward the entrance. Another clip showed a man being handcuffed on the ground, then handed to another officer and led away.

Streets around the library were temporarily closed, and a family reunification center was set up for those inside.

Police determined the suspect acted alone and identified him as Bradley Scott Sayer, 18, of Chico. Sayer graduated from Chico High School on June 5, Patel said.

He was booked into the Butte County Jail on suspicion of two counts of murder. Police said there was no evidence he had any prior relationship with or connection to the victims.

Officials said Tuesday that Sayer’s family has retained an attorney but did not release the lawyer’s name. A search of Butte County court records did not show Sayer’s name as of Tuesday.

At the time of the shooting, Sayer was wearing a white T-shirt emblazoned with the words “natural selection,” a replica of a shirt worn by Eric Harris, one of the perpetrators of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, Patel said.

“He had been a fan, and a fan for a long time” of the Columbine shootings on social media, Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey said.

Sayer is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, Ramsey added.

Jeannie Lee Schroeder was on a city bus that stopped near the library when she noticed the heavy police presence. As officers with guns moved toward the street, the bus driver sped away. Schroeder started recording.

“And as we were driving, and I’m filming, I see a person in a light-colored shirt running toward the street, toward where the bus was at,” Schroeder recalled Tuesday. “And then there was an officer behind him, and another officer coming at the side of him, and that’s when they tackled him down. And then they apprehended him.”

Police said the Butte County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI are assisting in the investigation. All Butte County library branches were closed Tuesday.