13 dead in shooting at Southern California bar

Thirteen people including the gunman died in a mass shooting at a crowded Southern California bar late Wednesday. Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean identified the shooter as 28-year-old Ian David Long, a Marine veteran who had several previous encounters with deputies and apparently killed himself. Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Garo Kuredjian said hundreds of people were inside the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif., about 40 miles west of Los Angeles, when gunfire erupted at 11:20 p.m. Witnesses said the shooter was dressed in a black hood and used some sort of smoke device before opening fire with a handgun. They described the chaotic scene that unfolded as people screamed and scrambled across the bar while others used barstools to shatter windows to escape.

The casualties included Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Ron Helus, who was shot while responding. Helus died at the hospital early Thursday.

According to Borderline’s website, the bar on Wednesdays hosts a college night and offers country dancing lessons. Local reports indicated students from Pepperdine University and California Lutheran University were at the bar during the shooting, but it’s unknown whether they are among the injured or killed. California Lutheran canceled classes Thursday in response to the tragedy.

Dean said deputies visited Long at his home in April, where he was found angry and acting irrationally but not taken into custody. The shooter’s motive was still under investigation.