California bar shooting: 13 dead including gunman

Thousand Oaks, California -- A bearded gunman clad in black entered the Borderline Bar and Grill and without saying a word, threw a smoke grenade and began shooting at a crowd of college students who were celebrating "country night" on Wednesday.

Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus, was the first law enforcement officer on the scene. Without hesitation, he rushed into the bar to save lives and was struck several times by gunfire. A 29-year veteran and close to retirement, Sgt. Helus later died in hospital.

Hundreds of people from California Lutheran University, a private Christian school, Pepperdine University and California State University Channel Islands were inside the establishment for the country music when the shooting began at about 11:20 p.m., Ventura County police reported.

Within minutes, deputies and highway patrolmen arrived at the bar after receiving multiple 911 calls. They began assessing the horrific, grim situation, Sheriff Geoff Dean said during a Thursday morning press conference.

“It is a horrific scene in there. There is blood everywhere,” Dean said.

It was not immediately clear if the gunman, who the Associated Press reported to be 29 years old, was shot and killed by police or if he died from a self-inflicted wound.

His name has been revealed [which will not be revealed here] and he had been in the U.S. Marine Corps and had been deployed to Afghanistan, it was learned.

"We all just kind of froze for a split second," said witness Teylor Whittler, "and then everyone booked it and dove to the floor. After the first round it was quiet for about five seconds, and then some guys who were next to me on the floor got up and started sprinting toward the back door and yelled at everyone, 'Get up! He's coming!'"

Whittler described the gunman as wearing all black clothing, a black baseball cap and ski mask-style item partially covering his face. Others offered a similar description and told the media that a tall gunman first shot at a bouncer working the bar's door and then began firing, apparently at random, at the crowd.

Police said at least 30 rounds were fired and the shooter was armed with a .45 caliber Glock. He used a smoke device to disorient and confuse his targets.

In addition to the college students, there were survivors of the 2017 Las Vegas massacre that also occurred during a country music festival.


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