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Thousand Oaks: At least 12 killed at California bar shooting Thousand Oaks: At least 12 killed at California bar shooting
(35 minutes later)
At least 12 people have been killed, including a police officer, at a bar in Thousand Oaks, California.At least 12 people have been killed, including a police officer, at a bar in Thousand Oaks, California.
Police say the shooting began at 23:20 local time on Wednesday at the Borderline Bar and Grill about 40 miles (65km) north-west of Los Angeles. The shooting began at 23:20 local time on Wednesday about 40 miles (65km) north-west of Los Angeles, police say.
At least another 10 were injured in the attack. At least 200 people were reportedly inside the Borderline Bar and Grill at the time of the attack.
Officials say the suspect was found dead inside and have not yet identified him. They do not yet know his motive for the shooting. Officials say the suspect was found dead inside and have not identified him. They do not yet know his motive for the shooting.
At least 200 people were reportedly inside the bar attending a college country music night at the time. How did the shooting occur?
"When deputies arrived they heard shots being fired, it was an active shooter situation," Ventura County Sheriff's office spokesman Eric Buschow said earlier. A college country music night was under way when the suspect, apparently dressed in black, entered to bar and opened fire.
The police officer who was killed has been named as Ventura Sheriff's Sergeant Ron Helus - a 29-year force veteran an father-of-one who was due to retire next year. Reports say the suspect may have used smoke grenades and at least one weapon, described as a semi-automatic handgun by witnesses.
He was shot several times and later declared dead at a local hospital. A injured man told local television channel KTLA: "We just dropped to the ground, we heard a lot of screaming. My friend is the DJ so she cut off the music, we just heard a lot of mayhem."
Dozens of shots were reportedly fired by the suspect - who police believe may have taken his own life. Another witness from inside, Teylor Whittler, said: "I was on the dance floor and I heard the gunshots, so I looked back and then all of a sudden everyone screamed: Get Down!"
People inside the bar had to break windows to escape, while others sheltered inside toilets. "It was a huge panic, everyone got up, I was trampled, I was kind of left on the floor until some guy came behind me and grabbed me and dragged me out."
Reports say the suspect may have used smoke grenades and at least one weapon, described as a semi-automatic handgun by witnesses, during the attack. People reportedly escaped the bar by using chairs to break windows, while others reportedly sheltered inside the venue's toilets.
A man who was injured told local television channel KTLA that the shots sounded "like fireworks". What have police said?
"We just dropped to the ground, we heard a lot of screaming. My friend is the DJ so she cut off the music, we just heard a lot of mayhem," he said. Ventura County Sherrif Geoff Dean described the scene inside the bar as "horrific" and said there was "blood everywhere".
Another witness from inside, Teylor Whittler, described the panic inside the venue. He said first responders had arrived just three minutes after the first emergency calls from the venue were made.
"I was on the dance floor and I heard the gunshots, so I looked back and then all of a sudden everyone screamed: Get Down!" she said. Ventura Sheriff's Sergeant Ron Helus, who later died in hospital, had tried to enter the active scene with a local highway patrolman when he was shot several times.
"It was a huge panic, everyone got up, I was trampled, I was kind of left on the floor until some guy came behind me and grabbed me and dragged me out. He is described as a father-of-one who was due to retire next year.
"It saddens us all and tears at our emotions. He died a hero. He went in to save lives, to save other people," the Sherriff said.
Police say they recovered a handgun inside the bar and found the suspect dead inside.
They believe he may have taken his own life but have not confirmed this.
Who are the other victims?
It is not yet clear who the other 11 victims inside the bar are, but the Wednesday night country music event is popular with local university students.
Footage on local media of the aftermath shows injured people being carried away from the scene by their friends.
Police say at least 10 people are known to have been injured and others are self-reporting with injuries at local hospitals.
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