The suspect has been identified in the horrific shooting that occurred late Wednesday night that left 12 dead and many injured.
Police have identified Ian Long as the suspected shooter in a tragic event that killed 12 and injured up to 20 other people in a California bar. Long was a former Marine.
The suspect is believed to be 29-years-old and according to reports, drove his mother’s car to the bar before he began firing. Police raided the man’s home early Thursday, but have not released any information that would point to a motive.
The shooter walked up to the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California and shot the security guard before walking into the bar and firing. The bar was filled with about 100 people with most of them being college age students. According to CBS, as the shooting started many patrons were breaking windows to try to escape.
One brave officer was killed in the mass shooting as he responded to the scene. Sgt. Ron Helus responded to the call and attempted to enter the bar and was shot and killed. According to CNN, Helus was going to retire next year.
Sgt. Ron Helus had been set to retire in the next year from the Ventura County, California Sheriff’s Office. He was killed in the Thousand Oaks attack. https://t.co/OCwbJkTj0n pic.twitter.com/dzkV4S8dDE
— CNN (@CNN) November 8, 2018
One group inside the bar that survived was also at the Las Vegas shooting a year ago.
The shooting ended when the gunman died on the scene. Police cannot confirm if the shooter killed himself or if he was shot by one of the officers returning fire.
The motive is still unclear, but the heartbreak is very real. Thousand Oaks has suffered a horrific tragedy that should be a reminder that if this can happen in the third safest city in America, then it can happen anywhere.
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