An 18-year-old man faces two open counts of murder following a fatal shooting inside a public library on June 22. Authorities arrested Bradley Scott Sayer at the scene after he allegedly opened fire on strangers, killing two adults and wounding a child.

Investigation

According to investigators, Sayer was explicitly motivated to replicate the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. The incident began on June 22 when police responded to reports of gunfire inside the library. As officers entered through the front doors, Sayer attempted to escape out the back of the building. However, officers had already set up a perimeter outside and took him into custody immediately.

Two adults, 74-year-old Robert Johnson and 36-year-old Jacob Hull, died from their injuries. Emergency responders transported an injured child to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Chico Police Department stated that Sayer did not know any of the victims.

Timeline of the Attack

Federal and local officials detailed a timeline of the attack. Sid Patel, the special agent in charge at the Sacramento FBI field office, reported that Sayer conducted a walk-through of the library right before the shooting took place. Sayer then walked back to his car, retrieved a semi-automatic rifle, and went back inside the building to open fire.

When officers arrested Sayer, he was wearing a shirt with hand lettering on the front that read “natural selection.” Police recovered the semi-automatic rifle at the scene. A subsequent search of Sayer’s car revealed additional firearms hidden inside. Chico Police Chief Billy Aldridge confirmed that all of the weapons found by investigators were registered to relatives of the teenager, rather than the suspect himself.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.