Shooting at California bar leaves 13 dead, gunman ID'd as ex-marine

Police and FBI investigators have no word on a possible motive after a gunman entered a Southern California bar Wednesday night and shot dead 12 people, including a sheriff's sergeant,before killing himself.

The gunman was identified as U.S. Marine Corps veteran Ian David Long. Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said Long, 28, was found dead in the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oakslate Wednesday. Dean said it's believed he killed himself.

'We thought it was a joke': Witnesses recount the chaotic scene as a gunman opened fire:

Witnesses describe Thousand Oaks shooting

6 years ago

Duration 1:26

'We thought it was a joke': Witnesses recount the chaotic scene as a gunman opened fire

The gunman opened fire around 11:20 p.m. PT at the crowded country-and-western barabout 65 kilometres northwest of Los Angeles, sending hundreds fleeing, including some who used barstools to break windows and escape.Police said hundreds were inside at the time.

Dean said Long first shot a security guard andother staff near the door and then patrons.

Among the dead was sheriff's Sgt. RonHelus, who was shot multiple times as he entered the building.

Dean said Helus, a 29-year veteran of the force who was set to retire soon, died in hospital early Thursday.

"It's a horrific scene in there," Dean said during a news conference Thursday morning. "There's blood everywhere."

Dean said around 10 other people were injured and taken to local hospitals. Others had fled and taken themselves to hospital. Some had been hiding in bathrooms and the attic of the bar, Dean said.

'Speechless and heartbroken'

Paul Delacourt, the assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles office of the FBI, said later Thursday thatan evidence team is undertaking a "thorough and painstaking" process at the crime scene and other sites.

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Jason Coffmantold reporters his son, Cody, was among those killed.

"I am speechless and heartbroken," he said.

Other victims who have been named by family or friends include:

• Justin Meek, 23.
• AlainaHousley, 18.
• Telemachus Orfanos, 27.
• Noel Sparks, 21.
• Sean Adler, 48.

"I don't want prayers. I don't want thoughts," said Susan Schmidt-Orfanos, whose son Telemachus Orfanos survived the shooting at an outdoor country music festival in Las Vegas last year only to die less than 10 minutes from his home.

"I want those bastards in Congress they need to pass gun control so no one else has a child that doesn't come home."

At nightfall, more than 2,000 mourners gathered at a local performing arts centre for a candlelight vigil on behalf of the victims, singing Amazing Graceand praying. Loud sobs could be heard throughout the 45-minute vigil.

Police officials sayall of the victims have been identified, but their names are not yet being publicly released. The medical examiner's office will likely identify the dead later Thursday evening.

U.S. President Donald Trumppraised police for their "great bravery" in the attack andordered that flags be flown at half-mastat the White House and public buildings in the U.S., as well as at overseas diplomatic and military sitesuntil Saturday evening, to honour the victims.

Democratic Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, in his first public appearance since winning office on Tuesday, lamented the violence that has come again to California.

"It's a gun culture. It's a culture, and it's not about being Democrat or Republican," he said. "You can't go to a bar or nightclub? You can't go to church or synagogue? It's insane is the only way to describe it ... It's become normalized."

Gunman acted alone, police believe

Dean said Long was acting alone,armed with a Glock 21 a .45-calibre handgun designed to hold 10 rounds plus one in the chamber. But the sheriff said the gun had an extended magazine that isillegal in California.

Long joined the marines in 2008. He served in the war in Afghanistan for seven monthsbeginning in late 2010, the Marine Corpssaid, and was awardedmultiple ribbons, commendations and medals.

It was not immediately clear what Long did after leavingactive duty.

California State University, Northridge, said in a statement that Long was a student, last attending the university in 2016. The statement hadno further details.

Dean saidhis department had previous contactwith Long,including a call to his home in April, when deputies foundhim irate and behaving irrationally.

The sheriff said a mental health crisis team was called at that time and concluded that Long did not need to be taken into custody.

Other prior encounters were a traffic accident and an incident in which Long was the victim ofbattery at a bar.

Dean said there is nothing that would lead him to believe terrorism was the motive, but it has not been ruled out. Authorities hope to learn more when a search warrant isserved at Long's home in the nearby community of NewburyPark.

The gunmanwas tall and wearing all black with a hood over his head and his face partly covered, witnesses told TV stations at the scene. He first fired on a person working the door and then appeared to open fire at random at the people inside, they said.

People screamed and fled to all corners of the bar, while a few people threw barstools through the windows and helped dozens to escape, witnesses said.

Scenes from Thousand Oaks, where a gunman opened fire Wednesday night in country-and-western bar:

California shooting

6 years ago

Duration 0:45

Scenes from Thousand Oaks, where a gunman opened fire Wednesday night in country-and-western bar

College student Cole Knapp, 19, was inside the bar when he saw the gunman enter and start shooting.

"I was just with friends and I saw the shooter walk in, and he reached up to the counter like he was going to put an ID or some money up on the counter to pay his cover charge," said Knapp, who lives nearby. "And I just kind of saw it in the corner of my eyeand I heard a gunshot, and I focused on him and I saw that he was holding a handgun and he continued to shoot at the girl at the front desk."

TaylerWhitler, 19, said she was on the dance floor and her friends were at a tableby the door as the gunman opened fire. She said everyone yelled "Get down!" and it was silent for a couple seconds, then she heard "Get up, he's coming!" and people were trampling on each other to get out.

"It was really, really, really shocking,"WhitlertoldKABC-TVas she stood with her father in the Borderline parking lot. "It looked like he knew what he was doing."

John Hedge said that he and his stepfather were in the bar when the gunman opened fire. He told CNN's Brooke Baldwin that it had been like any other night, with the basketball game on in the background, when he heard "pop, pop, pop."

"You just do what you can to try ... to get out of eyesight and try to get some cover," he said.

The bar is a popular hangout for students from nearby California Lutheran University. It's also close to several other universities, including California State University Channel Islands inCamarillo,PepperdineUniversity in Malibu andMoorparkCollege inMoorpark. The bar's website says it hosts "College Country Night" every Wednesday.

Cal Lutheran, with about 4,300 students,has cancelled classes and said on its website that the university community is invitedto gather Thursday at the school's chapel.

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The sheriff's office said aprocession will take place at 10 a.m. to transportHelusvia motorcade from LosRoblesHospital tothe Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office in the city of Ventura.

Shootings of any kind are rare in Thousand Oaks, a city of about 130,000. It was named the third safest city in the U.S.for 2018 by the website Niche.

"I've learned it doesn't matter what community you're in,"Dean told reporters when asked if he was surprised this happenedin Thousand Oaks. "It doesn't matter how safe your community is.It can happen anywhere."