CHICO, CA — A recent high school graduate who was apparently trying to emulate the Columbine High School shooting has been arrested on suspicion of two counts of murder after he opened fire in a library Monday evening in Chico, killing two men and injuring a child, authorities said Tuesday.
The victims were identified Tuesday afternoon as 74-year-old Robert Johnson of Orland, who died at the scene, and 46-year-old Jacob Hull of Chico, who was taken to Enloe Medical Center, where he later died, according to authorities.
"In moments like these, our focus remains on those who are harmed, the community members whose lives have been changed forever," Chico Chief of Police Billy Aldridge said in a news conference Tuesday streamed on Facebook.
The girl, who was at the library with Hull, was cut by broken glass and treated at Enloe for injuries that were not life-threatening, authorities said, adding she has reunited with family.
The gunman was identified as Bradley Scott Sayer, an 18-year-old who graduated from Chico High School just weeks earlier, according to authorities, who said he acted alone and has been booked into the Butte County Jail.
“There is no indication Sayer had any prior relationship with or connection to any of the victims in the library at the time of the shooting,” the Chico Police Department said in a social media post early Tuesday.
“Sayer’s motivation appears to be founded in a desire to commit a Columbine High School massacre type of shooting.”
Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey at the news conference described Sayer as "a fan for some time of social media involving Columbine-type shootings" who had "unfortunately made a deep dive into that social media community, and obviously lost his way."
Multiple 911 callers reported gunshots and screaming at 5:12 p.m. at the Butte County Library on East First Avenue, police said, adding officers arrived on the scene about two minutes later and had Sayer in custody less than four minutes from the initial call.
As officers entered the front doors of the library, the attacker exited out the back and was taken into custody, according to police.
Aldridge said he "could not be more proud of the actions displayed by our officers. Their rapid response, sound judgment, and unwavering courage brought a dangerous situation under control and prevented further violence."
Sayer fired about eight rounds from a shotgun during the course of the incident, police said. One victim was struck directly outside the library entrance, and the others were hit inside the building, according to police.
A search of Sayer's vehicle, located in the library parking lot, uncovered two additional firearms, police said. The guns "were registered in the family name," according to Aldridge.
Investigators from the Chico Police Department, Butte County Sheriff’s Office and FBI are analyzing digital, physical and material evidence from the library, Sayer's vehicle, and two residences connected to Sayer.
Sayer is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Thursday.
All Butte County library branches were closed, officials said, with security personnel to be assigned to each location upon reopening. The Chico branch was previously scheduled to close temporarily in August for renovations, Butte County Director of Libraries Misty Wright said at the news conference, and it will reopen once renovations are complete.
"A library should be a place of joy," Wright said. "It should be a place where people of all ages come to learn, connect, laugh, and discover something new. Most importantly, it should be a place where people will feel safe, and yesterday that sense of safety was shattered.
"... The road ahead will not be easy, but I believe in the strength of this community, because I've seen it firsthand, and I believe that one day families will walk through these doors again, children will gather for story time, students will find a quiet place to study, and friends will meet and neighbors will connect. And when that day comes, the library will once again be what it has always been at its heart, a place of learning, a place of connection, and a place of hope."
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The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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