Gunman kills 12 in California bar packed with students

Police cars are seen outside a country music bar and dance hall in Thousand Oaks, west of Los Angeles, after a gunman killed 12 people and was later found dead himself (AFP Photo)

Thousand Oaks (AFP): A gunman killed 12 people, including a police officer, when he opened fire in a country music bar packed with college students in California, officials and witnesses said yesterday. 

Police said the gunman was found dead inside the bar on the outskirts of Los Angeles although it was not immediately clear if he was killed by officers or shot himself. 

Speaking at press conference in the wee hours of Thursday, a sheriff said that around a dozen other people had been injured. He said the motive of the shooting and the identity of the shooter were not known. 

It was the second mass shooting in America in less than two weeks. 

Witnesses said that the gunman, who was wearing a black trenchcoat, throw several smoke grenades inside the Borderline Bar and Grill before he started he shooting at around 11.20 p.m. on Wednesday night.

“It’s a horrific scene in there. There is blood everywhere,” Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean told reporters. 

“We have no idea if there is a terrorism link to this or not. As you know, these are ongoing investigations and that information will come out as soon as we are able to determine exactly who the suspect was and what motive he might have had for this horrific event. 

“Nothing has led me to believe or the FBI there is a terrorism link here. We certainly will look at that option.” Dean said that the dead police officer, who was named as Ron Helus and had been on the force for 29 years, was among the first on the scene. 

“They found 11 victims that had been killed,” said Dean of the first response unit before detailing that the death of Helus brought the toll to 12, not including the gunman. 

The venue in the quiet, upscale Thousand Oaks suburb had been hosting an event for college students, with possibly several hundred young people in attendance, Captain Garo Kuredjian of the Ventura County Sheriff’s office said earlier. 

TV footage showed SWAT teams surrounding the bar, with distraught revellers milling around and using their cellphones as lights from police cars flashed. 

The Los Angeles Times quoted a law enforcement official as saying at least 30 shots had been fired. 

An unnamed witness told the newspaper that someone ran into the bar around 11:30 pm and started shooting what looked to be a black pistol.  “He shot a lot, at least 30 times. I could still hear gunshots after everyone left,” the Times quoted the man as saying. 

It was the latest chapter in America’s epidemic of gun violence. 

Only 10 days ago a gunman killed 11 worshipers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.