12 people, including police officer, killed in a California bar shooting

A former US marine who fought in Afghanistan has opened fire in a packed student bar in California killing 12 people.

People comfort each other as they stand near the scene. Picture: AP

A former US marine who was a machine-gunner in Afghanistan and had recently been examined for mental heath issues has been identified as the killer of 12 people in America’s latest mass shooting.

Ian David Long, 28, used a .45 caliber Glock 21 handgun when he walked into a California bar crowded with college students and opened fire.

The dead included a sheriff Sgt Ron Helus who ran into the bar after receiving 911 calls but was was gunned down by the shooter.

Police do not yet have a motive for the shooting but Long had a history of unusual behaviour. He was recently interviewed by police at his home after he displayed “agitated behaviour” which authorities suspected may be linked to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Long served as a US Marine from 2008 and 2013, serving as a machine-gunner in Afghanistan from November 2010 to June 2011. He was promoted to corporal in late 2011.

Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said Long lived close to the town of Thousand Oaks where the shooting took place.

Long did not have a criminal record but Sheriff Dean said police had had “several contacts” with him for traffic accidents.

He said that in April this year police were called to his home after a disturbance was reported.

“They went to the house, they talked to him,” he said. “He was somewhat irate, acting a little irrationally. They called out our crisis intervention team, our mental health specialist, who met with him, talked to him and cleared him.”

A former roommate told the Washington Post that Long was “quiet, really really quiet” and prone to unusual behaviour -- like dancing alone in the garage to trance music -- but said he never saw any signs of mental-health issues.

Long walked into the Borderline Bar and Grill late Wednesday night (US time) wearing black clothes with a hood apparently carrying smoke grenades.

People at the scene in Thousand Oaks, California. Picture: AP

He sprayed bullets through the crowded bar which was mostly full of college students enjoyed a country music night.

After Sgt Helus was shot, police waited until a SWAT team arrived and then went back into the bar.

They encountered a bloody and tragic scene. Inside the bar were 12 bodies as well as that of Long who had killed himself.

Sheriff Dean said the bravery of Sgt Helus - the 12th victim - in entering the bar while the shooting was going on had saved lives.

“There’s no doubt that they saved lives by going in there and engaging with the suspect,” he said. “He went in there to save people and paid the ultimate price.”

Sgt Helus, a veteran of the force, was due to retire next year.

Long first shot at a doorman then appeared to open fire at random, hurling smoke bombs as he let loose a fusillade of shots.

It was college country night at the bar, a western-themed establishment that hosts country, salsa and swing dancing nights, and the place was filled with young people. It is only a few kilometres from California Lutheran University and from Pepperdine University in Malibu and highly popular with students.

Police said there were no indications the attack was terrorism-related but an investigation was ongoing and the FBI is assisting.

Survivors of the shooting described moments of panic and heroism as the dance floor was turned into a killing zone.

I have been fully briefed on the terrible shooting in California. Law Enforcement and First Responders, together with the FBI, are on scene. 13 people, at this time, have been reported dead. Likewise, the shooter is dead, along with the first police officer to enter the bar....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 8, 2018

....Great bravery shown by police. California Highway Patrol was on scene within 3 minutes, with first officer to enter shot numerous times. That Sheriff’s Sergeant died in the hospital. God bless all of the victims and families of the victims. Thank you to Law Enforcement.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 8, 2018

Tayler Whitler, 19, was dancing and her friends were at a table by the door as the gunman opened fire. She said everyone yelled “Get down!” and it was ­silent for a couple of seconds, then she heard “Get up, he’s coming!”. People started trampling each other to get out.

Erika Sigman, 19, found herself hiding with a group of strangers, and they were holding her hands.

“There is a lot of bad in this world, but there is also a lot of good and people will help,” she said.

People walk away from the scene. Picture: AP

“I just started hearing these big pops, probably three or four,” one young man told local television station KABC. “The security guard ... was down.

“And the gunman was throwing smoke grenades all over the place. I saw him point to the back of the cash register, and he just kept firing. I ran out the front door. I heard chairs being thrown at the window, and people were trying to get out.”

“There were people hiding in rest rooms,” Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said. “There were people hiding in attics.

“It’s a horrific scene in there. There’s blood everywhere.”

Matt Wennerstron, a 20-year-old college student and regular at the bar, said the shooter fired a short-barreled pistol that apparently had a 10-15 round magazine. “It was just semi-automatic, as many shots as he could pull, and then when it started to reload, that’s when we got people out of there and I didn’t look back.”

He said he and others smashed their way out of the bar on to a balcony and then jumped to safety.

Jason Coffman sobbed as he told reporters that authorities told him that his oldest son Cody Coffman was killed in the shooting.

Mr Coffman said he talked to his 22-year-old son just before he went to the bar Wednesday night.

He says he told his son not to drink and drive and that the last thing he said to his son was: “I love you.”

Jason Coffman trying to find his son Cody. Picture: AFP

Squad cars and helicopters quickly swarmed the area.

Sheriff’s Captain Garo Kuredjian said a SWAT team and officers from the Ventura and Simi Valley police departments converged on the scene.

Sergeant Ron Helus, a 29-year veteran, and a passing highway patrolman were the first officers on the scene in response to 911 emergency calls. They heard gunfire and went inside.

Sergeant Helus was immediately hit with multiple gunshots. The highway patrolman pulled him out, and waited as a SWAT team and scores of officers arrived.

Sergeant Ron Helus.

Paying tribute to Sgt Helus, Sheriff Dean said, his voice breaking with emotion: “Ron was a hardworking, dedicated sheriff’s sergeant. He was totally committed, he gave his all and tonight, as I told his wife, he died a hero; he went into save lives, to save other people.”

It was the latest chapter in America’s epidemic of gun violence. Only 10 days ago a gunman killed 11 worshipers at a synagoguein Pittsburgh.

Locals described Thousand Oaks as a usually placid place. The city has been named in the past as one of the best places to live in Southern California.