An 18-year-old Northern California man who allegedly sought to carry out a Columbine-style massacre at a public library is now facing two murder charges after a deadly shooting in Chico.
The attack unfolded inside the Butte County Library in Chico, about 90 minutes north of Sacramento, according to The Blaze, which cited local television reports. Police said a 911 call came in at 5:12 p.m., with dispatchers hearing gunfire and screams in the background as the situation rapidly deteriorated.
As officers moved in through the front entrance, the suspect bolted out a rear exit but was immediately tackled and subdued by police, KHSL-TV reported. Station viewer Jeannie Lee Schroeder captured video of officers pinning the suspect to the ground, a moment that underscored both the speed of the response and the chaos of the scene.
"I was surprised the police officers were at the front of the library on the Sheridan side of the library as we were going past," Schroeder told KHSL. "I saw somebody in a white-colored T-shirt running, and then two police officers take them down and tackle them to the ground, and it just registered, 'Oh my God, they got him.'"
Schroeder described a coordinated takedown that likely prevented further bloodshed as the suspect tried to flee into a public street. She added to KHSL that "one [officer] was behind. He was running toward the street, and then one person was coming from an angle in front of him, and another person a police officer was coming from behind. I couldn't believe I was witnessing it in real time."
Authorities identified the suspect as 18-year-old Chico resident Bradley Scott Sayer, who is now being held in the Butte County Jail. The Chico Police Department told KHSL that Sayer has been booked on two open counts of murder as investigators work to piece together his alleged plan and motives.
Two adults were shot and killed in the attack, KHSL reported, while a juvenile victim was transported to a hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. Officials have determined at this stage that Sayer acted alone, a small measure of reassurance for a community shaken by a plot reportedly inspired by one of the most infamous school massacres in American history.
The Chico Police Department, working with the Butte County Sheriff's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is conducting interviews, gathering physical and digital evidence, and reviewing all available facts, KHSL noted. A YouTube video indicated that Sayer graduated from Chico High School in June, raising serious questions about how an 18-year-old so recently out of school could allegedly descend into such violent extremism.
"I could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time today," Schroeder told KHSL, reflecting the sense of vulnerability felt by ordinary citizens who rely on public institutions like libraries to be safe spaces. Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey told KHSL that Sayer is scheduled to make his first court appearance at 3 p.m. Thursday in Oroville, where prosecutors are expected to outline the case in greater detail.
For now, the focus remains on justice for the victims and accountability for an attack that appears to mirror the nihilistic culture of Columbine-style violence that has festered for decades. Those with information related to the case are urged to contact the Chico Police Detective Bureau at 530-897-5820, as communities under President Trumps renewed emphasis on law and order continue to rely on vigilant citizens and decisive policing to confront such threats.
Login