The shooting at the Butte County Library in Chico, California, was already disturbing enough. Then investigators started revealing more about the suspect’s online activity and possible motivations.
If you’ll recall, 18-year-old Bradley Scott Sayer entered the library on Monday afternoon, briefly walked through the building, left, and then returned with a shotgun. Investigators believe that was not a random decision. They say Sayer was looking for a confined, populated location where he could carry out an attack.
The shooting lasted only a few minutes, but two people were killed. Police say 46-year-old Jacob Hull was shot while entering the library, and a juvenile girl who was with him was injured. Investigators say Sayer then entered the building and killed 74-year-old Robert Johnson. The shotgun used in the attack was recovered, and police took Sayer into custody outside the library without having to use force, you know, because he’s white.
From the beginning, investigators said this case appeared to have a connection to Columbine. Sayer was reportedly wearing a white t-shirt with the words “Natural Selection” written on it, a reference to one of the shirts worn by Columbine coward Eric Harris during the 1999 attack.
That detail led investigators to describe Sayer as someone who had been deeply involved in Columbine-related online communities. The term Columbiner is used to describe people who become obsessed with the Columbine cretins, their writings, and the mythology that has grown around them online. These communities have existed for decades, with some members treating school shooters less like criminals and more like their crush.
Investigators have said Sayer had taken a “deep dive” into online communities about Columbine and other mass shootings. But after his first court appearance, it appears the issue may go beyond just being a Columbiner.
With this latest update, I unfortunately have to use the New York Post as a source.
I try to avoid using the Post like a plague because their approach to reporting often leans heavily into right-wing sensationalism. Headlines are sometimes written like they were designed by someone trying to win an argument in a comment section. However, in this case, they do have photographic evidence of what happened in court.
During his first appearance after the shooting, Sayer allegedly flashed what appeared to be a white trash… I mean white power hand symbol while entering the courtroom. The gesture involved making the “OK” hand symbol and holding it upside down.
The “OK” gesture itself is obviously not inherently hateful. For most of modern history, people have used it to mean exactly what it appears to mean. But a few years ago, the symbol was co-opted by some white supremacist larpers and turned into a hate symbol in certain contexts.
Now, there is always the slim chance that this was not a white power symbol. If that is the case, congratulations to Sayer. He managed to play the circle game in a courtroom while facing two murder charges and got everyone looking at his hand.
That’s a joke, by the way.
The courtroom gesture, combined with his reported Columbine obsession, raises more questions about the online communities Sayer may have been involved with. It also points toward another disturbing corner of the internet often associated with these cases: the so-called True Crime Community.
That community has developed an especially toxic relationship with mass shooters, including the same type of idolization seen among Columbine obsessives. And unfortunately, some of those spaces have also overlapped with racist and extremist communities.
You can think of the TCC kind of like ANTIFA. Not in ideology but in the fact that there is no organization or hierarchy in the TCC.
Investigators are still building their case and examining Sayer’s online activity. However, the information released so far paints a picture of someone who didn’t just stumble into a violent act. Instead, officials believe he spent time immersing himself in communities centered around previous mass shootings before carrying out an attack of his own.
That is the part that should concern everyone the most. Not just one person’s actions, but the online ecosystems that continue to turn real-world tragedy into a form of entertainment, identity, and inspiration for people who are already headed down a dangerous path.
And let’s not forget that none of these copycat shooters will ever be remembered like they think they will. Sadly, in this country, another tragedy will grab the headlines, and outside of Chico, once Sayer is sentenced, he’ll be just another statistic.
(Source)
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