12 Dead in California Bar Shooting

Twelve people have died after a “maniac" gunman burst into a country and western bar in California and opened fire on hundreds of young revellers.
A police spokesman said 12 people died in the shooting, including one sergeant who rushed to the scene to confront the shooter.

The gunman, 28, was named by police as Ian David Long. He is said to be a veteran of the US Marine Corps.
Sheriff Geoff Dean said local police had previously had "minor interactions" with Long, who lives near the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California.
"We have no idea what the motive was at this point," he said.
Police said he wielded what appeared to be a legally-purchased, .45-caliber Glock handgun.

Ian David Long

 

Long was also found dead inside the bar after apparently turning his gun on himself, a Ventura County Sheriff spokesman said.
The gunman, clad from head to toe in black, opened fire on a crowd of people at the student bar with the handgun after setting off smoke bombs inside. Long, is said to have shot a bouncer before opening fire inside the bar

 

He is described as being be proficient with weapons, according to witnesses who fled the scene in terror. Sheriff Dean addressed reporters and said "this is an ongoing investigation and a tragic, tragic situation".

 He said the force received "multiple calls of shots being fired", and their first unit arrived within three minutes.

 

 

Upon entering the bar, sergeant Ron Helus, who had been on the force for 29 years and was due to retire, was struck multiple times with gunfire. Sheriff Geoff Dean of Ventura County hailed his deputy as a hero saying he went in to the bar to save lives.
He said: “Losing Ron is horrific and terrible. There are also parents of the 11 victims in there whose hearts were ripped out tonight. There is no way to describe this.
“Ron was a hard working, dedicated sheriff’s sergeant. He was totally committed. He gave his all and, as I told his wife, he died a hero. “He went in to save lives - to save other people.”
The officer was hit by “multiple shots” as soon as he entered the bar. His partner managed to drag him out of the restaurant.

In an earlier press briefing, Mr Dean said: "11 victims have been killed. The suspect was also dead inside and there were multiple other victims of different levels of injury who were rescued from the scene and taken to local hospitals.

"The numbers are upwards of 10 to 12 who, with minor injuries, fled the scene on their own.
"We have no idea if there is a terrorist link to this or not."
The Los Angeles Times reported that at least 30 shots were fired.

Tayler Whitler, 19, said she was inside the bar when a man walked in with his face partly covered by something resembling a ski mask, opened fire on a person working on the door, then began to shoot people at random.
Terrified victims hid under tables and in toilets, smashing windows to escape during the attack.
One witness said: “This maniac came in. Threw in smoke bombs to confuse people and opened fire on the dance floor. He’s taken many young lives.”

Witnesses ran to a nearby service station for help after shots were fired by the gunman, who reportedly threw smoke grenades around the dance floor area.
Reports suggest that some survivors of the deadly Las Vegas shooting, at Route 91 Harvest music festival, were in attendance during the shooting.  Imagine  how they must have felt to be present at another mass shooting.
A man outside of the bar said he had not heard from friends just yet, but was not too worried.
He said: "A lot of my friends survived Route 91. If they survived that, they will survive this."
Local media are reporting that the gunman walked up to a security guard and shot him before he opened fire in the building.
A statement from Ventura County Fire Department said: "Ongoing active shooter incident reported at
Borderline. Please stay away from area.
"Active law enforcement incident. Multiple injuries reported. Details still being determined. Multiple ambulances requested."

Police responded to the incident at 99 Rolling Oaks Drive at around 11.30pm local .  Borderline bar, a western-style bar with a dance floor, was holding a college country night on Wednesday night.
Nick Steinwender, student body president at nearby California Lutheran University, rushed to the scene when he heard about a shooting at the bar where he knew friends and fellow students were inside.
"It was chaos, people jumping out of windows, people hopping over gates to get out."
He said he heard from people inside that they were hiding in bathrooms and the attic of the bar.

Shootings of any kind are very rare in Thousand Oaks, a city of about 130,000 people about 40 miles north west of Los Angeles. Rare perhaps in Thousand Oaks...but happening with great regularity in the United States in it's present environment of divisiveness, confusion and hate.