Thousand Oaks shooter died from self-inflicted gunshot
- 5 years ago
THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA — A dozen people are dead after a gunman opened fire inside a packed bar in California on Wednesday night.
USA Today reports that over a hundred college students were inside the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks for Country College Night when gunman Ian David Long approached outside and shot the security guard with a .45-caliber Glock 21.
The 28-year-old then threw a smoke bomb inside the premises and shot at employees near the front, before firing into the crowd of people on the dance floor.
Scared patrons began fleeing. Some used bar stools to break the windows and escape.
Others ran out the back, hid under pool tables, in the attic, or in the bathroom.
Ventura County deputy Ron Helus was first at the scene with a highway officer. They engaged the suspect in a shootout, but Deputy Telus was shot several times and later died. In all, 12 people were killed in the shooting.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Long was dead when officers found him at the scene, and an autopsy later determined he had died from a self-inflicted gunshot.
Long had been a former Marine machine gunner, and is said to have carried the attack out with military efficiency, though authorities have yet to determine a motive.
A former coach described him as physically combative during his teen years, while a mental health specialist that assessed him recently thought he could be suffering from PTSD.
USA Today reports that over a hundred college students were inside the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks for Country College Night when gunman Ian David Long approached outside and shot the security guard with a .45-caliber Glock 21.
The 28-year-old then threw a smoke bomb inside the premises and shot at employees near the front, before firing into the crowd of people on the dance floor.
Scared patrons began fleeing. Some used bar stools to break the windows and escape.
Others ran out the back, hid under pool tables, in the attic, or in the bathroom.
Ventura County deputy Ron Helus was first at the scene with a highway officer. They engaged the suspect in a shootout, but Deputy Telus was shot several times and later died. In all, 12 people were killed in the shooting.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Long was dead when officers found him at the scene, and an autopsy later determined he had died from a self-inflicted gunshot.
Long had been a former Marine machine gunner, and is said to have carried the attack out with military efficiency, though authorities have yet to determine a motive.
A former coach described him as physically combative during his teen years, while a mental health specialist that assessed him recently thought he could be suffering from PTSD.