Mass shooting blocks from campus: Suspect at large

Wyatt Alpert and Molly Myers|May 6, 2023

Wyatt Alpert

Police and bystanders gathering information as to what occurred in the Columbus Avenue shooting. Photographed by Wyatt Alpert May 6.

In the early morning of May 6, a shooting took place on Columbus Avenue, leaving one dead and five injured. In a press conference, Chico Police said the suspect is still at large. The deceased victim is a 17-year-old girl who died at a hospital. The other five victims are in stable condition.

Chico PD is leading efforts along with Chico State University Police Department to gather more information at this time. 

Bullet hole in car after the shooting early April 6 morning.
Bullet holes and police caution tape in the aftermath of May 6 shooting on Columbus Avenue. Photographed by Wyatt Alpert May 6.
A window shot out in the aftermath of the April 6 shooting on Columbus Avenue.
Police and bystander near a car with the window shot out after the shooting on Columbus Avenue. Photographed by Wyatt Alpert May 6.
Evidence markers lay near a car with a bullet hole in the rear bumper.
Bullet hole in the rear bumper along with evidence markers. Photographed by Wyatt Alpert May 6.
Bullet hole in rear bumper along with the numbers 6,5 and 8 evidence markers.
Evidence markers lay near a white car with a hole in the rear bumper. Photographed by Wyatt Alpert May 6.

At 12:27 a.m., nearly three hours before the mass shooting took place, Chico police said they were called to a party on West Seventh Street after reports of gunshots. Police found that a fight had occurred in which an unnamed suspect allegedly struck one victim with a firearm, and hit another victim over the head with a glass bottle. 

Both victims were treated at a hospital and are in stable condition. The suspected assailant fled the scene. 

At 2:59 a.m., police were dispatched to a different party on the 1000 block of Columbus Ave after reports of a firearm being brandished. Officers cleared the party and arrested someone who matched the description of the suspect at the party on Seventh Street. 

At 3:26 a.m., less than half an hour later, the mass shooting occurred on the 1000 block of Columbus Avenue. 

None of the victims are believed to be Chico State students.

In a campus-wide email President Gayle Hutchinson released a statement addressing the incidents: “While we have confirmed none of the victims appear to be our students, these acts of violence are no less unsettling and traumatic for students, faculty, and staff.”

Hutchinson encouraged students to seek support services and gave the following options:

The Orion will continue updating this story as more information becomes available

Wyatt Alpert and Molly Myers can be reached at [email protected].