Monday started out like any other quiet afternoon at the Butte County Library. Folks were browsing books, seeking a quiet place to read, and escaping the summer heat. Nobody could have predicted that this peaceful community hub was about to become the scene of an absolute nightmare.
Robert Johnson, a 74-year-old resident from nearby Orland, was right near the entrance when everything changed. He was just minding his own business when a gunman walked up and opened fire. The sudden burst of violence cut his life short right there at the front doors.
Deeper inside the library, 46-year-old Jacob Hull of Chico was spending time with a young girl. The shooter moved past the entrance and targeted Hull next, opening fire inside the building. Hull was killed in the unfolding chaos, leaving the community completely devastated.
The young girl standing with Hull miraculously survived the gunfire, but she didn’t escape completely unharmed. Shattered glass from the shooting sliced through the air and injured her. Emergency responders rushed her to the hospital, and thankfully, she has since been released to recover at home.
The sheer terror inside the building was captured on an open 911 line around 5:12 p.m. When dispatchers picked up the call, all they could hear were desperate screams and active gunshots echoing in the background. Officers immediately flooded the area, knowing every second counted.
Chico police units arrived on the scene within a mere two minutes of that horrifying call. As teams pushed through the front doors to confront the danger, the shooter tried to slip out the back. Luckily, law enforcement had already set up a tight perimeter around the building.
By 5:16 p.m., cops pinned down the suspect and took him into custody without any further bloodshed. It took less than four minutes from the first emergency call to end the active threat. The quick thinking and coordination of the officers definitely saved countless lives that day.
Now, the community is left mourning two innocent men who simply went to the library and never came home. Investigators later revealed the shooter was an 18-year-old stranger wearing a white shirt with “natural selection” scrawled on it. It turns out the whole horrific attack was fueled by an obsession with the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.
