San Diego school shooter could walk free under California youth law

The deranged maniac behind the deadly 2001 San Diego school shooting could get cut loose from prison despite a 50-years-to-life sentence – as the county’s top prosecutor blamed lax state laws.

Charles “Andy” Williams, who executed two classmates and shot 13 students during a rampage at Santana High School, will be resentenced and transferred to juvenile court because the mass shooter was 15 at the time of the murders.

That means the killer — who had whined he was “sick of being bullied” — could be released without parole or a safety review, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said.

“This defendant carried out a calculated, cold-blooded attack during which he executed two young students and shot 11 other students and two school officials, forever traumatizing a community,” Stephan said in a statement on Tuesday.

Stephan railed that the deceased victims — 14-year-old Bryan Zuckor and 17-year-old Randy Gordon — were not given the same opportunities as their killer.

“They won’t be released from the grave and returned to their families,” Stephan said.

“At some point, our laws must balance the rights of defendants, the rights of victims, and the rights of the community to be safe,” the prosecutor added. “Many school shooters are young, so what message does our legislature want to give them to deter them from carrying out horrific shootings?

Williams, now 39, petitioned for resentencing under a 2011 law that allows judges to reconsider sentences for youth offenders who are serving life sentences without parole. The DA had argued that the 50-to-life sentence the shooter received was not the same as a life sentence because it would allow for parole opportunities.

The school shooter — who is now in custody at the California Institution for Men in Chino –became eligible for parole in September 2024 and was found to be an “unreasonable risk to public safety,” according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The board also said it was unclear if Williams understood why he committed the shooting.

In 2001, Williams stormed the Santana high boys’ bathroom armed with a stolen .22-caliber revolver and gunned down a student inside, then calmly and methodically walked out into the hallway and quad — randomly shooting anyone he came across.

The DA’s office has since filed an appeal.