Jacob Hull, 46 of Chico, Calif., a 1997 Morro Bay High School graduate, was one of two men killed during a shooting rampage at a library in Chico. Submitted photo
One of two men killed in a mass shooting at a Chico public library was a Morro Bay High School graduate.
Jacob “Cody” Hull, 46 of Chico, along with Robert Johnson, 74 of Orland, was killed June 22 when an 18-year-old recent Chico High School graduate pulled a shotgun out of his vehicle and went on a shooting rampage at a Chico Public Library. Hull was a 1997 Morro Bay High School graduate.
According to news reports, it was about 5 p.m. June 22 when Bradley Scott Sayer, 18 of Chico, Calif., walked unarmed through the Butte County Library’s Chico branch.
He then left the building to go to a parked car in the lot and retrieved a shotgun out of the trunk. Near the library entrance he reportedly shot Johnson twice, killing him. He entered the library where he fired several more shots including one that hit and mortally wounded Hull, who was rushed to Enloe Health Medical Center where he died from his injuries.
A 16-year-old girl was reportedly injured by flying glass. She was treated for her injuries and released from the hospital the same day.
Chico Police said Sayer fired eight rounds from the shotgun in the short rampage, which was ended when officers arrived at the scene within about 2 minutes. They were able to capture Sayer when he fled the library out the back door after police breached the building.
Officers had the place surrounded at the time and he fled straight into custody without further shots being fired.
A police spokesman said when they searched Sayer’s car, they found two more firearms in the vehicle.
Sayer was booked into Butte County Jail and has since been charged with two counts of murder, plus special circumstances, among what is likely to be many more charges before he goes on trial. Prosecutors have said they will not seek the death penalty.
According to WFMY News 2, a CBS affiliate TV station, Hull was killed while trying to shield an 8-year-old girl from the gunman.
“Jacob Hull was remembered by friends as someone who acted to protect others during the shooting,” WFMY reported. “Phillip Brun said his 8-year-old niece was injured in the shooting and credits Hull, whom he described as a father figure to her, for saving her life.
“Brun said his understanding is that Hull was trying to stop the shooter from moving farther into the library.”
“From my understanding,” Brun said, “he was preventing the shooter from getting further into the library and that is what had led him to being shot.”
Sayer was described in news reports as having just graduated high school two weeks prior to the shooting. He was also described as being “on the ‘highly-functioning’ autism spectrum.”
According to police and repeated in news reports, Sayer was fascinated with the April 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colo.
Sayer reportedly was a fan of the two senior students — Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold — who carried out the massacre, killing 13 students and one teacher and also trying to set off homemade explosives inside the school, which fortunately did not detonate.
Harris and Klebold shot themselves to death before police could capture them.
According to an FBI agent, Sayer was wearing a T-shirt with “natural selection” written on it, reportedly a reference to one of the Columbine killers.
The entire Butte County Library system was closed for several days after the shooting, and the Chico branch is not expected to reopen until the end of August.
