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By Jordan King
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Two people were killed and a child was injured after police say 18‑year‑old Bradley Scott Sayer opened fire inside a Northern California library on Monday evening, with the intention of carrying out a "Columbine High School massacre type of shooting," Chico authorities said.
Officers responded around 5 p.m. to an open 911 line from the Butte County Library's Chico branch, where dispatchers could hear gunshots and people screaming. As officers entered the building, the suspect ran out the back, where others stationed along a perimeter arrested him without incident, the police said.
Chico Police Chief Billy Aldridge said two adults were killed in the attack and a child suffered a minor injury. Officials have not released the victims' names. Investigators said Sayer acted alone, had no known connection to anyone inside the library and was armed with a single firearm. No officers fired their weapons.
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Who Is Bradley Scott Sayer?
On Tuesday, the police said Sayer, a Chico resident, had been booked into the Butte County Jail on two open counts of murder. Authorities said there was "no indication" he knew any of the victims and that his apparent motivation was to stage a mass‑casualty attack modeled after the 1999 Columbine school shooting.
The area around Sherman and East First avenues was shut down for an extended period as officers secured the scene and established a family reunification center for people who had been inside the library.
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The Butte County Library said all branches would be closed Tuesday in response to the shooting. In a statement on its website, the library extended its "deepest condolences" to those affected, including the victims, their families and library staff. It said it expected to resume normal operations on Wednesday.
California Leaders React to Shooting
The press office for California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on social media: "Our hearts are with the Chico community tonight.
"We are grateful to law enforcement for their swift actions to secure the scene and take the suspect into custody. No family should have to endure a tragedy like this."
U.S. Representative James Gallagher, a Republican serving California's 1st Congressional District—which includes Chico—said on social media that he was "heartbroken" by the "senseless act of violence."
Gallagher added that he was "praying for the victims, their loved ones and everyone impacted by this tragedy."
Gun Violence in California
California has some of the strictest gun laws in the United States and one of the nation's lowest firearm death rates. An estimated 2,900 people died from gun-related injuries in the state in 2024, equivalent to about seven deaths per 100,000 residents, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data compiled by USAFacts. The state's firearm death rate was roughly 45 percent lower than the national average in 2024.
Despite this, gun violence remains a significant public safety issue. Firearms were the third leading cause of death among Californians aged 1 to 17 in 2023, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Shakeema Edwards.
Update 6/23/26, 11:17 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and a new headline.
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