Weeks before the shooting, Williams allegedly attempted to speak with a school counselor but was instructed to return to class because the office was full at the time.
[2] As the semester unfolded, friends came to believe that Williams had just reached a tipping point and mentioned he "didn't want to live anymore," which resulted in more name-calling and threats of bullying.
The Friday before the shooting, Williams and classmates reported that his drama teacher humiliated him in front of the class during an acting exercise for which he was not prepared, which he perceived as an abusive setup.
[5] On March 5, 2001, at 9:20 a.m., 15-year-old Charles Andrew Williams entered a boys' bathroom at Santana High School with a loaded eight-shot .22-caliber revolver taken from his father's locked gun cabinet and fatally shot a freshman.
[11] Eleven students and two school supervisors suffered gunshot wounds and were treated at either UC San Diego Medical Center or Rady Children's Hospital.
Jeff has stated that an older man bought the boys alcohol and drugs in exchange for sexual favors and that Andy did not mention this abuse until long after his arrest.
[13] He took his father's Arminius .22 caliber long-rifle double action revolver from the locked gun cabinet in their apartment.
The district court denied his petition in September 2010 and the case is now on appeal to the 9th Circuit, according to the California Attorney General's Office.
[19][better source needed] In 2018, Williams petitioned California governor Jerry Brown for sentence commutation after a new law was signed prohibiting defendants under 16-years of age to be tried as adults.
The San Diego District Attorney's office stated they adamantly opposed the petition along with victims and their family members.
[22] The San Diego Padres wore an "SHS" memorial patch on their jersey sleeves during a spring training game on March 6, 2001.
The shooting led to the development of regional active shooter response training called Immediate Action, Rapid Deployment (IARD), which has become routine for any law enforcement agency to enter a critical incident scene, and to find and stop the threat as soon as possible.
He described his 15-year-old life as tumultuous, recounting the pain of his parents' recent divorce, his move across the country from Maryland to California, and the death of a friend.
His description of his mental state was "numb," adding that he didn't realize people would die, but he wanted to "make a lot of noise and then the cops would show up."
He admitted that his real plan was to commit suicide by cop, however he "changed his mind at the last minute, dropped his revolver and surrendered.