Charles Andrew Williams

Charles Andrew "Andy" Williams (born February 8, 1986) is a convicted murderer who, as a 15-year-old, perpetrated the shooting at Santana High School on March 5, 2001. In the shooting, two students were killed and 13 others were wounded. Williams is currently serving life in prison with the possibility of parole after 50 years.

Known by his family as "Andrew" or "Andy" for short and born in Frederick, Maryland on February 8, 1986, he was the second child of Jeff and Sue Williams. In the summer of 2000, Jeff and Sue separated. Jeff and Andy moved to California in the fall. Williams attended Santana High School in Santee, California, where he was bullied by fellow students. He began to spend time with a crowd of skateboarders. Williams was accepted within this peer group; however, at times these individuals also bullied him.

Weeks before the shooting, Williams attempted to speak with a school counselor, but was instructed to return to class because the office was full at the time. As the semester unfolded and the abuse continued, 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. By early 2001, Williams seemed to believe that his problems would not resolve themselves. The Friday before the shooting, Williams and classmates reported that his drama teacher humiliated him in front of the class during an acting exercise, which he perceived as an abusive setup. Williams spoke on two occasions of his plan to "pull a Columbine" at Santana High School, but no reports were ever made of these threats to the school. He also made plans to get on top of the school's roof so that he could hit people more easily. The friends he informed were asked to leave the school. The first occasion was a week before the shooting, the second during the weekend prior to March 5.

He took his father's Arminius .22 caliber long-action revolver from the locked gun cabinet in their apartment. After his arrest, he told investigators that he was "tired of being bullied." On the way to juvenile hall, Williams said that he did it because he was dared to by his friends.