Our live coverage has ended for the evening, but stay with CNN to read more about the Thousand Oaks shooting. Here’s everything you need to know:
The gunman who killed 12 people at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, was a 28-year-old veteran of the US Marine Corps, officials said.
Here’s what we know about shooter Ian David Long so far:
United Methodist Church Westlake Village identified Noel Sparks as one of the victims of last night’s shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks.
The church released a statement on Facebook after speaking to Noel’s father:
“It is with heavy hearts that we notify you that Noel Sparks was among the victims of last night’s shooting. We grieve with Tony Sparks and Wendy Anderson.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has deployed victim services personnel — Spanish-speaking representative and K-9 handlers — to assist survivors and families of shooting victims.
Two yellow Labrador Retrievers — Skippy and Nora — and their handlers will visit survivors at hospitals, sit with families waiting for news, and spend time with first responders, according to the district attorney’s office.
Victim Services representative Jenneifer Bobadilla will provide families with Spanish-language translation.
This victim services team also assisted in the aftermath of the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting.
In a news conference Thursday afternoon, law enforcement officials said the investigation was ongoing and that there were no indications the shooter was acting with others.
The FBI is continuing to process the crime scene, and there are no indications the shooter was working any associates, said FBI Assistant Director Paul Delacourt. There are no other threats to the area.
“It would be premature to speculate on the motivation,” Delacourt said, adding that the FBI is still working to “paint a picture of the frame of mind of the subject.”
Authorities also identified the victims, and notified their families. A list of names will not be released until later today, said Ventura County Sheriff’s Captain Garo Kuredjian.
Watch it here:
California governor-elect Gavin Newsom responded to last night’s mass shooting at an event in San Francisco Thursday afternoon.
“This is America…This doesn’t happen anywhere else on the planet. We can’t let folks forget that. We can’t allow this to be normalized,” said Newsom, who won the California governor’s race Tuesday.
Newsom also praised Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus, who was killed in the attack, as a hero for his “act of courage, and act of bravery.”
He released a full statement earlier Thursday, expressing his condolences to those affected and calling for decisive action “at every level of government.”
There are currently over 200 people in line at La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks, waiting to donate blood to victims of last night’s mass shooting, according to school officials.
Thousand Oaks Mayor Andy Fox had pleaded earlier Thursday for blood donors to step forward.
The school had previously scheduled a blood drive on campus - but pivoted to gathering donations specific to this incident.
Donors are encouraged to make appointments at 877-25-VITAL.
Residents of Thousand Oaks, California, paid their respects to Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus, who was fatally shot at the Borderline Bar and Grill.
Video captured by Jim Meser shows people standing at the intersection of Camino Dos Rios and Gainsborough Rd, some holding American flags, as Sgt. Helus’ procession drove by.
Meser wrote on Instagram: “I don’t know how or why First Responders can do what they do. But I thank God every day that they do it.”
Wednesday night’s shooting marked the fourth “soft target” attack in two weeks, raising questions about how to make these public spaces safer.
“Soft targets” represent simple, daily life. People come and go. They expect to be safe as they pick up a cup of coffee, deposit their paychecks, fill prescriptions or grab a bite to eat. Their guards are down.
America has faced the threat so many times – at a theater in Aurora, California, at a concert in Las Vegas, at the Boston Marathon. Every school shooting is an attack on a soft target.
The death toll in the four recent incidents has been stunning, with 27 people slain:
One of the victims killed in the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting in Thousand Oaks, California has been identified as Alaina Housley by family members.
“The Real” co-host Tamera Mowry-Housley and her husband Adam Housley told CNN they are heartbroken about their niece’s death.
“Our hearts are broken,” the couple said in their statement released to CNN. “We just learned that our niece Alaina was one of the victims of last night’s shooting at Borderline bar in Thousand Oaks. Alaina was an incredible young woman with so much life ahead of her and we are devastated that her life was cut short in this manner. We thank everyone for your prayers and ask for privacy at this time.”
The former “Sister Sister” star is married to journalist Adam Housley, who earlier had asked followers to pray for “My niece. A beautiful soul.”
Alaina Housley’s family described her as a “incredible young woman with so much life ahead of her.”
Read the full family statement:
“Our hearts are broken. We just learned that our niece Alaina was one of the victims of last night’s shooting at Borderline bar in Thousand Oaks. Alaina was an incredible young woman with so much life ahead of her and we are devastated that her life was cut short in this manner. We thank everyone for your prayers and ask for privacy at this time.”
A woman who survived the mass shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill described to CNN how she survived by climbing a ladder into the attic and waiting an hour for police to arrive.
Identified by just her first name, Lindsey said she was nearly on the dance floor when the shooter walked in. She heard the gunshots and immediately ran into the kitchen, where bar staff yelled at her to go up a ladder and into the attic.
“I definitely owe them my life, they had the smartest idea,” she said, adding that she stayed there with her boyfriend until they were told to come out an hour later by responding police.
Listen:
This post was updated.
Thousand Oaks Mayor Andy Fox has pleaded for blood donors to step forward in the wake of last night’s mass shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill.
Officials are organizing a blood drive at a facility in the area due to the amount of donations needed.
Justin Meek, 23, was among the people killed in the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, according to California Lutheran University President Chris Kimball.
In a statement, Kimball said Meek was a recent graduate and “heroically saved lives in the incident.”
“We will pray, begin to comfort one another in our grief, and hold the families, friends and loved ones of the victims in our hearts. Cal Lutheran wraps its arms around the Meek family and other families, and around every member of this community of caring,” Kimball said in the statement.
Jason Coffman just confirmed that his 22-year-old son died during the shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill last night. Cody Coffman was pronounced dead on the scene, his father said.
“Oh Cody, I love you son,” an emotional Jason Coffman told reporters.
Jason Coffman said he talked to his son last night.
Cody has three younger brothers — all under the age of 10 — and a sister due on Nov. 29. “He was so excited to have his first sister,” Jason Coffman said.
The 22-year-old was planning to join the military, and was speaking with recruiters from the US Army.
“This is a heart I will never get back,” Jason Coffman said.
Watch the moment:
This post has been updated.
Eleven victims from the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, were released from area hospitals Thursday.
Here’s what we know about the victims:
Shooter Ian David Long’s mother “lived in fear” of what her son might do, saying when police were called to the house earlier this year “it took them about a half a day to get him out of the house,” a neighbor told CNN.
Neighbor Richard Berge said Long’s mother told him she was concerned about her son, though not worried about her own safety, and that “she was… kind of beside herself, she didn’t know what to do because he wouldn’t get help.”
Berge continued: “When I saw the house this morning, I knew what it was,” referring to the police activity.
Earlier today, police said they responded to Long’s house this April. Here’s how Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean described it:
“In April of this year, deputies were called to his house for a ‘subject disturbing.’ They went to the house, they talked to him. He was somewhat irate. Acting a little irrationally. They called out our crisis intervention team, our mental health specialists who met with him, talked to him and cleared him. Didn’t feel he was qualified to be taken under 5150. And he was left at that scene last April.”
California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in the wake of last night’s deadly shooting at Borderline & Grill in Thousand Oaks.
In his statement, Newsom, who won the California governor’s race Tuesday, said more must to be done to “address the root causes of these devastating acts at every level of government.”
Here is his statement:
“Jennifer and I extend our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the friends and families of Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. (Ron) Helus, and to the friends and families of the many who lost their lives in yet another horrific act of gun violence. We join the Thousand Oaks community in its grief and, together with all Californians, recognize the bravery and heroism of our nation’s peace officers and first responders.
This atrocious act and the many mass shootings that came before are beyond heartbreaking — they are societal failures. Simply saying ‘enough is enough’ isn’t enough. We must address the root causes of these devastating acts at every level of government.”
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein called for “stronger federal gun regulations” after last night’s deadly shooting in Thousand Oaks.
She also cited recent mass shootings in her argument for stricter gun laws
“Today we add Thousand Oaks to the ever-growing list of communities that have suffered mass shootings,” she said in a statement. “These mass murders are depressingly pervasive. Schools. Theaters. Malls. Offices. Synagogues. Grocery stores. Bars. Concerts. Churches. They’re inspired by racism, revenge, terrorism or just pure hatred. The one common attribute: easy access to guns.”
Read her statement here:
“Some will say California’s strong gun laws didn’t prevent this shooting, but without stronger federal gun regulations, there’s little California can do to keep guns coming in from other states. Without stronger laws to prevent straw purchasing and close the gaping holes in our background check system, a presumptive murderer barely has to lift a finger to buy a gun.
Some will say we need more guns, not fewer, an absurd claim in a bar full of students with security guards where an armed police sergeant was killed. Republicans argue we shouldn’t talk about gun policies after a mass shooting. They’re wrong. This is exactly the time we should be talking about enacting gun safety measures. We don’t know all the details of this latest shooting, but we do know how to start to reduce the frequency of these murders. What we’ re missing is Republican willpower to get it done.
A renewed ban on military style assault weapons—which have no place in civilian society—is ready for a vote. A bill to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines is ready for a vote. A bill to ban bump stocks, which Republicans agree should be illegal, is ready for a vote. A bill to close the gun show and online loopholes is ready for a vote. Bills to prevent terrorists from buying guns, keep guns away from domestic abusers and allow loved ones to get a gun violence restraining order, each is ready for a vote.
We could hold these votes next week and have bills on the president’s desk by Thanksgiving. Instead, Republicans refuse to take any action at all.
This failure to act is cowardice of epic proportions. We may not be able to stop all gun violence, but that doesn’t mean Republicans should be allowed to bury their heads in the sand and not to — to stop any of it.
What we’re lacking is intestinal fortitude from congressional Republicans and President Trump to say enough is enough. As long as they stand in fear of the NRA and worry more about the power of the gun lobby than the lives of their fellow citizens, we’ll see more Thousand Oaks, more bodies lying at the foot of failed Republican leadership.”
Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus spent the evening backing up fellow deputies on calls before he was fatally shot.
“He was going to every call that he could, because that’s how he was…. and rushed here to continue doing that, to continue saving lives,” Senior Deputy Julie Novak told CNN affiliate KCAL/KCBS.
Six unarmed, off-duty law enforcement officers who were at the Borderline Bar & Grill stepped in to help, Novak said.
A woman whose daughter was at the bar during last night’s shooting there told officials one of the officers “stood in front of her daughter — protecting her life with his own,” Novak said.
California bar shooter Ian David Long posted information about his military service on a special forces forum called Shadowspear in March 2017.
In his post, Long said he had served in Afghanistan, was an infantry machine gunner in the US Marine Corps for four and a half years, and was an instructor in Okinawa.
Here’s part of what he wrote:
“I was honorably discharged in 2013. I am graduating with a B.S. in Athletic Training in two months. I found out a little too late that just wasn’t the job for me. Maybe the ego got the better of me but it took only one time for a 19 year old D-2 athlete to talk down to me and tell me how to do my job that I realized this wasn’t the career I wanted to head.”
CNN also spoke to a friend who served with Long, who confirmed the suspected gunman had served in Afghanistan and moved to southern California to pursue a degree in sports medicine.
Sgt. Ron Helus, who was fatally shot at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, ran a business in which he taught gun safety to concealed carry weapons permit applicants, according to Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Dyer.
Helus was a firearms instructor for recruits in the sheriff’s basic training academy, he said.
According to Helus’ LinkedIn and Facebook page, he also founded a company called Gun Control: Firearms Training and CCW Instruction in 1993.
Helus, a 29-year veteran of Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, still owned and operated the company when he died.
The shooter in last night’s bar shooting was once a student at California State University Northridge. In a statement from University President Dianne Harrison, she said that Ian David Long last attended the school in 2016.
Here’s the full statement:
On behalf of California State University, Northridge, our hearts and thoughts are with the victims, survivors, first responders and loved ones affected by the horrific massacre that occurred in Thousand Oaks last night. We have learned that the reported shooter is a former CSUN student, who last attended in 2016.
I know that many in the community have been impacted by this terrible tragedy. I ask that faculty and supervisors be supportive and considerate of anyone who has been touched by this tragedy. Also, please know that University Counseling Services has people available at (818) 677-2366 if you or someone you know need assistance or support. As members of the Matador family, I ask that our campus come together and support one another during this troubling time. Please check CSUN.edu for updates as more information becomes available.
In accordance with a proclamation issued by the White House, I have directed that U.S. flags on campus fly at half staff until sunset, Nov. 10, in honor of the victims of this senseless tragedy.
Again, I share my deepest condolences and sympathies with those affected by this horrific massacre.
As families of the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting wait for word on missing loved ones, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to work on notifying them.
“It’s a slow and methodical process,” Ventura County Sheriff Deputy Bill Hutton said. “Everyone here wants to know — family, friends, relatives. We’re doing everything we can to get information (out to them).”
Family members will have access to chaplains, victims advocates and counseling on site.
President Trump ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in remembrance of the 12 people killed at a bar shooting in Thousand Oaks, California.
Here’s a portion of the President’s proclamation:
“As a mark of solemn respect for the victims of the terrible act of violence perpetrated in Thousand Oaks, California, on November 7, 2018, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, November 10, 2018. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.”
Some California Lutheran University students were at the Borderline Bar & Grill last night, according to university spokesperson Karin Grennan.
Classes were canceled on Thursday.
At least five California State University Channel Islands students were also at the bar, according Erika D. Beck, the university’s president.
Beck said they are safe.
Police identified the California bar gunman as Ian David Long.
Here’s what we know about the shooter:
One thing we don’t know: There is no known motive in the shooting, Dean said.
Sgt. Ron Helus was shot several times during an exchange of gunfire with the gunman, Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said.
The shooter, Ian David Long, walked up to the Borderline Bar & Grill and shot a security guard standing outside, the sheriff said.
Long, who was wearing a black sweater, entered the bar, turned right and shot other security guards and employees, Dean said.
He then opened fire inside the bar, the sheriff said.
Long also exchanged gunfire with Helus and a California Highway Patrol officer when the entered the bar, he said.
It is unclear if Long reloaded his weapon during the shooting.
“We don’t have any other details to confirm an exact chronology about what happened. We’ll provide that to you as we bring all our witness statements together and we feel more comfortable about talking about that,” Dean said. “We have no idea what the motive was at this point.”
When authorities entered the bar, they found Long dead inside an office next to the bar’s entrance.
California Sen. Kamala Harris urged Congressional leadership to take action against gun violence in the wake of last night’s bar shooting.
“Praying for the injured and the families of those killed who, like so many others, have lost their loved ones to gun violence. Leaders in Congress must act — not some day, but now,” she tweeted.
She also thanked Sgt. Ron Helus who was killed as he responded to the Borderline Bar & Grill.
Here are her tweets:
There is no known motive in the shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said.
Suspected shooter Ian David Long is a former marine.
There were six off-duty officers from various agencies inside the Borderline Bar & Grill at the time of the shooting, Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said.
Dean said a mother recalled that the officers stood in front of her daughter to protect her.
Watch more:
The suspected gunman Ian David Long was on active duty with the US Marine Corps from August 2008 to March 2013, according to Department of Defense records.
At a news conference, Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said Long, 28, used a Glock .45-caliber handgun during last night’s shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California.
The suspected gunman, Ian David Long, shot himself, Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said at a news conference Thursday.
He was dead when officers made entry into the bar.
The suspected gunman in last night’s deadly shooting has been identified as 28-year-old Ian David Long, according to Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean.
Long, a US Marine Corps veteran, used a Glock .45-caliber handgun during the shooting, the sheriff said.
Authorities had “minor” run-ins with Long in the past, Dean said. Here’s how he described them:
“We’ve had several contacts with Mr. Long over the years, minor events, a traffic collision. He was a victim of a battery at a local bar in 2015. In April of this year, deputies were called to his house for a subject disturbing. They went to the house, they talked to him. He was somewhat irate. Acting a little irrationally. They called out our crisis intervention team, our mental health specialists who met with him, talked to him and cleared him. Didn’t feel he was qualified to be taken under 5150. And he was left at that scene last April,” the sheriff said.
Watch more:
Twenty-one people hurt in last night’s bar shooting were treated and released from area hospitals, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Details on the victims’ injuries were not released.
California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California, has canceled classes today because of a shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill, according to their website.
An alert on the university’s website reads:
“Classes will not be held today, Nov. 8. Borderline hotline number: 805-465-6650. The university community is invited to gather at the chapel, which is open.”
Authorities believe they have identified the suspect in the Thousand Oaks, California, shooting, according to a law enforcement source.
The source cautions information is early: But the suspect is believed to be 29 years old.
Multiple Pepperdine University students were at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks during the shooting, the university said in a statement.
Pepperdine will hold classes today as scheduled and encouraged students who need to adjust their schedules because of the shooting to do so.
“University officials have been working on site with law enforcement to confirm their safety and well-being, and our prayers and condolences are with everyone impacted by this senseless act of violence,” Pepperdine said in the statement.
A procession for slain deputy Sgt. Ron Helus is being planned for 1 p.m. ET, Capt. Garo Kuredjian, spokesperson of Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, tells CNN affiliate KCAL/KCBS.
The procession will start at Los Robles Hospital and end at the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Sgt. Helus was killed after entering the Borderline Bar & Grill during last night’s shooting. Helus died at a hospital, police said.
“He went into save lives, to save other people.” Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said of Helus, his voice breaking at a news conference early Thursday.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is still trying to make sense of last night’s shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill, as they cope with the death of a longtime sheriff’s sergeant, Capt. Garo Kuredjian said.
It’s unclear if all the victims inside the bar have been identified or if all of their families have been notified, he said.
“It’s absolutely horrific,” he told CNN affiliate KABC. “If you can imagine young people out on a Wednesday night, having a good time, at a bar they’ve probably been to many times. Thousand Oaks, one of the safest cities in the United States, and something like this happens. We’re trying to make sense out of the senseless, it’s absolutely tragic.”
The shooting was reported at 2:19 a.m. ET inside the bar in Thousand Oaks, Kuredjian said.
Minutes later, Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus entered the bar and was immediately met by gunfire, he said,
Helus, who was set to retire in the next year, was injured and died at a hospital.
“He is absolutely a hero. He leaves behind a wife and a son, he was a 54-year-old resident of Moore Park, he epitomized what a cop does, he was a cop’s cop,” Kuredjian said. “When he heard the gunfire he ran in, he ran in and no doubt saved others from being victimized. A young man who was inside the club came up to me and said, ‘You know what? He saved additional people from being victims.’ That’s what cops do. That’s what he did.”
At this point, authorities still have no information on the suspected gunman.
“I can guarantee that’s our priority one, to identify him, to try to see what motivated him to do such a senseless act,” Kuredjian said.
Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker has been briefed on the shooting in California and will receive updates as authorities learn more, according to a Justice Department official.
At least 12 people are dead after a yet-to-be-identified gunman began shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks.
Jeff Sessions was fired from his job as attorney general in the aftermath of the US midterm elections on Wednesday. Whitaker was Sessions’ chief of staff.
It was a regular Wednesday night when Cody Coffman said goodbye to his dad Jason Coffman before walking out the door to meet friends. Cody, 22, hasn’t been heard from since the shooting unfolded at Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks.
He recounted how he was alerted to the situation by some of his son’s friends who had been with him at the dance club.
“Some of his girlfriends got out but they didn’t know where Cody was,” he explained.
The anxious father is now at a centre where parents have been told to go to await information. He said there are around 20 to 25 people facing the same grueling wait.
Jason Coffman told CNN that he’s been calling his son’s cell phone but it just rings out. He added that Cody has a tracking app on his phone which has confirmed that he was at the club
“It’s there, it’s not moving, that’s the problem. … His phone is at the club. All I can say is please say a prayer for the victims and for the loved ones that are where I’m at. We’re just in a holding pattern here,” he continued.
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Rep. Jim Himes, whose home state of Connecticut endured the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, blasted inaction on gun violence after hearing about the mass shooting in California on Wednesday night.
He told CNN: “I’m embarrassed to say … my first thought was, ‘here we go again, it’s this week’s mass shooting,’ and that’s a really hard way to think about this. I contrast where we are today with how we all felt about Sandy Hook.”
“35,000 Americans dead a year as a result of gun violence and Congress can’t even find its way to studying the problem,” Himes said.
Watch more:
President Trump just tweeted that he has been “fully briefed on the terrible shooting in California.”
Here’s his full message:
21-year-old Taylor von Molt is a promoter for the Borderline Bar & Grill, where a mass shooting on Wednesday night left at least 12 people dead.
Speaking about the shooting to CNN, she recalled being on the dance floor when the gunfire started.
“…it’s a country bar so we were line dancing … and I heard what I thought was a balloon pop,” Von Molt told CNN by phone.
“I was confused because we didn’t have any balloons at the time… I turned around and saw him fire his weapon a couple of times and I ran to the nearest exit and tripped and fell on the way.”
Von Molt said that once out of the venue, she ran up a hill to a nearby apartment block where she was able to find shelter.
Madeline Carr, news editor at the student paper the Pepperdine Graphic, knew some of those who were inside the Borderline Bar & Grill when the shooting started.
She told CNN the bar opens up to anyone over the age of 18 on Wednesdays and described it as a “fun spot for dancing.”
“Pepperdine’s a pretty small community, a pretty sheltered community … so it’s one of these events that it’s hard to rationalize it happening here,” she continued.
Carr said that it was heartbreaking to hear that Sgt. Ron Helus, one of the first police officers to respond to the mass shooting, had died.
“You hear about these shootings and the people that are the first responders and that really lay down their lives to help other people… I think it’s remarkable what these people do and I can’t say enough for individuals like him,” she said.
“It’s heartbreaking and I know that the community will definitely be rallying together for the sergeant and the other individuals.”
Multiple students from Pepperdine University were at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks when a gunman opened fire, it said in a tweet on Thursday.
Pepperdine is a university in Malibu, California; it’s about a half hour drive from the venue.
Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean has described the scene of the bar shooting in Thousand Oaks, California as “horrific.”
“It’s a horrific scene in there, there is blood everywhere and the suspect is part of that, and I didn’t want to get that close and disturb the scene and possibly disturb the investigation,” he said, adding that the motive is still unclear.
Dean said investigators had not found any type of assault rifle within the bar.
“Right now as far as we know there was only one handgun, but that could certainly change as we do a more thorough search of the building.”
The suspected gunman in the fatal Thousand Oaks bar shooting has not been identified yet, Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said, who added that the FBI are assisting. The suspect was dead when police arrived on the scene.
Dean said, “It’s well too early to know if he took his own life.”
Authorities are investigating initial reports that a smoke bomb was used but continued that they had not found anything to support this yet.
“We have called in our bomb team to go through and a couple of bomb dogs here that are checking the area. But we haven’t found any other explosive device or confirmation there that there was a smoke device.”
A Ventura County sheriff’s deputy is among those killed in the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting.
Sgt. Ron Helus had been on the force for 29 years and was one of the first officers on the scene in response to 911 calls of shots fired. He was looking to retire in the “next year or so,” Sheriff Geoff Dean told reporters.
The sergeant died in hospital, Dean added.
“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,” Dean said, his voice breaking with emotion.
Twelve people, including a police officer, were killed after a gunman forced his way into the Borderline Bar & Grill and opened fire on Wednesday night, Sheriff Geoff Dean told reporters moments ago. The suspected gunman was also found dead at the scene. Up to 12 other people are injured.
Thousand Oaks mayor Andy Fox told CNN he was informed of the shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill around midnight, adding law enforcement responded quickly.
“It’s my understanding they went in and neutralized the shooter (and) they identified a number of causalities. I don’t know the condition of the victims but my understanding is there are a number (of) wounded included a local deputy … all of the victims have been transported to hospitals,” Fox told CNN on the phone.
He added that Thousand Oaks “is considered one of the safest cities in the country.”
“We are consistently ranked one of the highest with respect to the lowest crime rate per capita, we’re proud of that,” Fox said.
“The reality is that these types of incidents can happen really at any place, at any time, even in communities that are considered extremely safe,” he added.
Fatalities have been reported at the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting, a Ventura County Sheriff’s department public information officer told CNN affiliate KABC.
The shooter is believed to be among the dead.
Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks is a western-themed establishment known to regularly host country, salsa and swing dancing nights.
According to its website, the venue was hosting a college country night between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Wednesday night when the shooting occurred.
The bar is a few miles from California Lutheran University and is a popular spot for students. Some students from both California Lutheran University and nearby Pepperdine University are thought to have been present at the event on Wednesday night.
Madeleine Carr, news editor at student newspaper the Pepperdine Graphic, told CNN on the phone, that she was aware of freshman students who had planned outings.
“I was going to go with them tonight but decided not to because of homework but it is a popular place to go because it’s local and we do have a lot of people from the south – it’s line dancing it attracts them,” she said.
“We’ve been texting as much as we can – it’s hard. We are still trying to reach most of the girls but the people we know got out. A lot of them do live nearby in Thousand Oaks so a lot of them did get to a students house,” she added.
Holden Harrah, who witnessed the shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill, said he was inside the bar with friends, something he does every week.
“I’ve been coming there for about six months. (It’s) just a place you go to hang out with friends, just have fun as young adults,” he told CNN by phone.
“A gentleman, who walked in through the front door, shot the girl that was right behind the counter,” he added.
Watch below:
“Multiple assets from the ATF Los Angeles Field Division have responded to the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks,” California, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, via Twitter.
Ventura County Star reporter Jeremy Childs arrived at the scene shortly after a shooter opened fire on Wednesday night.
Childs told CNN: “When I arrived at the scene I saw lots of sheriff vehicles and a few paramedics. Helicopters could be heard overhead. I saw some tearful reunions among those presumably at Borderline or who knew them at Borderline. Then I joined the press area. It was a mix of press and bleary-eyed loved ones.”
At least 11 people were injured after a gunman forced his way into a popular local bar and opened fire, according to police attending the scene in Thousand Oaks, California, officials say.
Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Captain Garo Kuredjian updated the number of people injured during a press conference a few moments ago.
Earlier in the same press conference he told reporters that six people had been shot, including a deputy.
There’s no threat to the general public outside the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, police said in a press conference at the scene.
“I don’t know the status of the shooter if he’s been captured but we don’t think he’s outside of the bar and grill,” said Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Garo Kuredjian.
“We don’t feel that the shooter has left the bar and grill, so whatever it is was contained inside the bar and grill. We don’t feel there is a threat to the public outside. I don’t know if he’s been transported or if he’s been captured,” Kuredjian said, referring to the gunman.
Earlier at the same press conference he said authorities were still looking for the gunman.
This post has been updated with further comments from police.
Watch below: Latest on Southern California bar shooting
When asked how many people were inside the Borderline Bar & Grill at the time gunfire broke out on Wednesday night, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Garo Kuredjian said, “I would say hundreds, but I can’t confirm the exact number.”
The bar was hosting a weekly college country night event, according to its website.
As news emerged of the incident, people began to gather outside the bar, located just outside Los Angeles, in a desperate bid to check on their friends.
“I heard that the gunman started shooting at the front desk and then from there I’m not sure. Friends I have that are in there reported that students are hiding in the attics and bathrooms and stuff like that,” one bystander said.
Shots were still being fired when deputies responded to the scene at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Garo Kuredjian has said.
At least six people were shot including a deputy, Kuredjian added.
Emergency response vehicles are on scene at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks.
Jeremy Childs, a Ventura County Star reporter, has been posting video from outside the cordon.
Multiple people have been injured in a shooting Wednesday night at a local bar in Thousand Oaks, California, authorities say.
The Ventura County Fire Department tweeted: “Ongoing active shooter incident reported at Borderline in @CityofTO . Please stay away from area. Active law enforcement incident. Multiple injuries reported. Details still being determined. Multiple ambulances requested”
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed the shooting at a local bar, but declined to release additional details.
