Two killed, child injured in Chico library shooting

Gunfire inside the Butte County Library’s Chico branch turned a public reading room into a crime scene Monday evening, leaving two people dead and a child wounded. Police said dispatchers first received reports at about 5:12 p.m. on June 22, 2026, after an open 911 line captured gunshots and people screaming from inside the building on Sherman Avenue.

Chico Police Chief Billy Aldridge said the suspect fled out the back of the library as officers moved in, but was taken into custody shortly afterward without further gunfire. Investigators said they believe the shooter acted alone, and police said they do not yet know the motive.

The injured child was taken to Enloe Hospital with non-life-threatening or minor injuries. Officials did not immediately identify the victims, but they said there was no further threat to the public after the arrest.

The Chico Police Department was joined by the FBI, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol as investigators secured the scene and began piecing together what happened inside the library. Streets around the building were blocked off for several hours, disrupting a busy part of the city while officers worked.

By Tuesday, June 23, 2026, all Butte County Library branches were closed. The shutdown underscored how deeply the shooting disrupted daily public life in Chico, where a library normally serves as one of the city’s most routine civic spaces.