Suspect of killing two people in California library may have been inspired by Columbine massacre
The shooting suspect is believed to have staked out the Chico, California, library before returning with a shotgun and killing two people.
Bradley Scott Sayer, an 18-year-old young man arrested after a shooting that occurred in a library in Butte County, in the city of Chico, in northern California, where two people died and a minor was injured, could be related to one of the worst massacres in the country.
Local authorities are investigating the possibility that the attack was inspired by the 1999 Columbine school massacre, one of the most dramatic episodes of gun violence in United States history.
According to the Chico Police Department, the detainee was identified as Bradley Scott Sayer, a resident of the same city, who allegedly acted alone and had no prior relationship with the victims.
In an official publication posted on social media, the corporation noted that “the motivation appears to be based on the desire to carry out a shooting similar to the Columbine High School massacre,” according to the Chico Police Department.
The attack occurred shortly after 5 p.m. Monday, when emergency responders received reports of an active shooter inside the county library.
The first investigations, carried out jointly by local police, the Butte County Sheriff's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), indicate that the suspect had no relationship with the victims and that he had planned the attack individually, according to authorities.
The case reactivated concern about so-called attacks “inspired” by previous massacres. The central reference of the investigation is the Columbine High School tragedy, which occurred on April 20, 1999 in Littleton, Colorado, where students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 12 classmates and a teacher before committing suicide. This fact has become a tragic reference within the phenomenon of armed violence in educational centers in the United States.
Chico authorities have requested the public's collaboration to provide additional information to clarify the motivation for the attack and any possible prior indication of planning. The FBI maintains support in the analysis of the case, while the collection of evidence at the scene continues.
The shooting also occurs in a context of high sensitivity in California, following other recent episodes of armed violence in the state, which has intensified the debate on prevention and access to firearms in the United States.