Gunman kills 12 in California bar packed with students

By
AFP

November 08, 2018

An American Red Cross Disaster Relief vehicle is seen outside the Thousands Oaks Teen Center where people have come for family assistance following the bar shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California on November 8, 2018-AFP

THOUSAND OAKS: The gunman who killed 12 people in a crowded California country music bar has been identified as 28-year-old Ian David Long, a former Marine, the local sheriff said Thursday.

"We have had several contacts with Mr. Long over the years, minor events, a traffic collision," Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said, adding that deputies were called to his house for a disturbance in April this year and "felt he might be suffering from PTSD."

The suspect was found deceased at the scene, in the city of Thousand Oaks northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

"We believe he shot himself," Dean said.

Twelve people, including a police sergeant, were shot dead in a shooting at a nightclub close to Los Angeles, police said Thursday.

All the victims were killed inside the bar in the suburb of Thousand Oaks late on Wednesday, including the officer who had been called to the scene, Sheriff Geoff Dean told reporters.

People stand and watch as the scene unfurls from the intersection of US 101 freeway and the Moorpark Rad exit as police vehicles close off the area outside a country music bar and dance hall in Thousand Oaks - AFP
 

The venue was hosting an event for college students and possibly several hundred young people were inside, said Captain Garo Kuredjian of the Ventura County Sheriff's office.

He said around 0915 GMT that the shooter was still confined inside the premises, adding he did not know if the shooter had been subdued or shot.

Police who responded to reports of a shooting rushed to the scene and engaged the gunman, said Kuredjian.

The incident happened at the Borderline Bar and Grill in the town of Thousand Oaks, a quiet, upscale residential suburb of Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Times quoted a law enforcement official as saying at least 30 shots had been fired.

An unnamed witness told the newspaper that someone ran into the bar around 11:30 pm and started shooting what looked to be a black pistol.

"He shot a lot, at least 30 times. I could still hear gunshots after everyone left," the Times quoted the man as saying.