Oroville, California — The 18-year-old accused of carrying out a Columbine-inspired shooting at a Northern California library made his first court appearance Thursday, where he defiantly flashed a hand sign associated with “white power” while facing murder charges.

Bradley Scott Sayer appeared in Butte Superior Court shackled and wearing a yellow long-sleeved jail top with grey sweatpants. He did not enter a plea during the arraignment.

Prosecutors have charged Sayer with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances. They are seeking life without parole, though additional charges could be filed.

Columbine obsession alleged

Authorities say Sayer was obsessed with the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. He allegedly wrote “Natural Selection” in black marker on a white T-shirt before the attack — a reference to one worn by Columbine shooter Eric Harris. Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey described Sayer as a longtime “fan” of Columbine-style shootings who had immersed himself in related social media communities.

On Monday, June 22, Sayer reportedly conducted a walkthrough of the Butte County Library in Chico before retrieving a shotgun from his car. He opened fire in a calculated attack on a confined, populated space.

Victims identified

The shooting claimed the lives of two men:

• Jacob “Cody” Hull, 46, of Chico, who was with an 8-year-old girl (the daughter of his ex-girlfriend). Family members say Hull heroically tried to stop the shooter and protect the child. He was shot in the leg and then in the head.
• Robert Johnson, 74, of Orland, who was shot in the head near the library entrance.

A juvenile girl with Hull suffered minor injuries from broken glass and has since been released from the hospital.

Sayer fired eight rounds before fleeing out the back of the library, where he was quickly apprehended by officers without incident. A shotgun was recovered at the scene, and two additional firearms were found in his vehicle.

Library staff heroically ushered patrons to safety during the brief but deadly attack, which lasted only about four minutes from the first 911 calls to Sayer’s arrest.

The case remains under investigation by local police and the FBI. Sayer’s court appearance has drawn renewed attention to the disturbing signs of extremism and copycat violence that authorities say motivated the attack.