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Thousand Oaks: At least 12 killed at California bar shooting

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At least 12 people have been killed, including a police officer, at a country music bar in Thousand Oaks, California.

The shooting began at 23:20 local time on Wednesday about 40 miles (65km) north-west of Los Angeles, police say.

At least 200 people were reportedly inside the Borderline Bar and Grill, which was hosting a university student night, at the time of the attack.

Officials say the suspect, who has not been identified, was found dead inside.

They have not yet confirmed any motive behind the attack.

President Trump tweeted on Thursday morning to say he been briefed on the shooting, describing it as "terrible", and praising the bravery of the police officers involved.

How did the shooting occur?

Witnesses say the suspect was dressed in all black, and forced his way into the bar after first shooting the bouncer.

A college country music night was under way when the suspect apparently threw a smoke grenade into the crowd before opening fire with at least one weapon.

Witnesses told CNN that he used a short-barrelled shotgun, while others told local media that he carried a "smaller-calibre handgun with a light or laser attached to the bottom of it".

An 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."

Another witness, Teylor Whittler, who was celebrating her 21th birthday 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!

"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."

People reportedly escaped the bar by using chairs to break windows, while others reportedly sheltered inside the venue's toilets.
What have police said?

Ventura County Sherriff Geoff Dean described the scene inside the bar as "horrific" and said there was "blood everywhere".

He said first responders arrived just three minutes after the first emergency calls from the venue were made.

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.

The husband and father-of-one had been a policeman for 29 years and 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.

"It doesn't matter how safe your community is, it doesn't matter how low your crime rate is - there are people who just don't think properly everywhere, I don't care where you are, and they commit horrific acts like this," he continued.

"There's no way to process. There's no way to make sense out of the senseless."
What do we know about the gunman?

An unnamed law enforcement official who did not wish to be named told the LA Times that the shooter is a 29-year-old man who drove his mother's car to the crime scene, and said nothing before opening fire.

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.

According to the bar's website, Wednesday nights are college-themed and are open to students as young as 18.

The bar is located close to California Lutheran University, Pepperdine University and Moorpark College and is popular among students.

Footage on local media of the aftermath shows injured young people being carried away from the scene by friends.

Police say at least 10 people are known to have been injured and others are self-reporting with injuries at local hospitals.
The latest in a long line

The US has suffered from mass shootings for decades, but most of the deadliest have occurred in recent years.

In the last two weeks alone, a man shot dead two people yoga studio in Florida, and another gunman opened fire on a synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11.

The deadliest attack in modern US history came last year in Las Vegas when a 62-year-old man opened fire on a crowd of 22,000 country music concertgoers from the 32nd floor of a nearby hotel, killing 58 and wounding hundreds.

One man who survived the attack on the Borderline Bar told CBS that several attendees on Wednesday night had also been present for the Las Vegas attack on the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

"It's the second time in about a year and a month that this has happened," Nicholas Champion said.

"It's a big thing for us. We're all a big family and unfortunately this family got hit twice."

The previous most deadly attack was another just a year earlier, when 49 people were killed in Pulse - a gay nightclub - in June 2016. in Orlando.

Some students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida - where 17 were killed in February - have taken up a public campaign for gun law reform in recent months but little in the way of change has emerged from legislators.

According to the website Gun Violence Archive, more than 12,000 people have been killed using firearms in the US so far this year, including about 3,000 people under 18.

That number does not include an annual estimate of 22,000 suicides via firearm.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46135459
 
Terrorist or mentally deranged?

Come on man, it's too early to talk about if he is mentally ill or if he is a terrorist. Also, it's too early to talk about weapons that he used in this attack. Let the families, of the victims, grief, then forget this ever happened.
 
Some people on twitter saying that it was a muslim man who carried out tue shooting.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">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....</p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1060511925883285504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">....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.</p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1060515116700045312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">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....</p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1060511925883285504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">....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.</p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1060515116700045312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Republicans never agree that Gun culture is destroying America.
 
A US Marine Corps veteran with suspected mental health issues killed 12 people in a busy bar in California, including a policeman, officials say.

The shooting began at 23:20 local time on Wednesday in Thousand Oaks about 40 miles (65km) north-west of Los Angeles.

At least 200 people were reportedly inside the Borderline Bar and Grill, which was hosting a student line-dancing night.

Police named the suspect as 28-year-old Ian David Long.

Earlier this year, police mental health professionals interviewed and cleared him after sheriffs' deputies found him behaving "irate" and "erratically" at his home, said authorities.

Police say the suspect was dressed in black, and forced his way into the bar after shooting the bouncer.

A college country music night was under way when the suspect apparently threw a smoke grenade before opening fire, witnesses say.

Police say he used a legally owned .45 calibre Glock semi-automatic handgun, which had an extended magazine that is illegal in the state of California.

The extended magazine allowed the gun to carry more than its typical 11-bullet capacity.

Police say they do not yet know how many shots were fired, or whether the gunman ever reloaded during the attack.

One witness, Teylor Whittler, who was celebrating her 21st birthday, 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!'

"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."

People escaped the bar by using chairs to break windows, while others reportedly sheltered inside the venue's toilets.

At least 10 people are known to have been wounded and others are self-reporting with injuries at local hospitals.

Among those present in the bar were reportedly survivors of the deadliest US mass shooting in modern times, last year when a gunman killed 58 at a Las Vegas country music concert.

Popular among students, the bar is close to California Lutheran University, Pepperdine University and Moorpark College.

What have police said?
Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean described the scene inside the bar as "horrific" and said there was "blood everywhere".

He said first responders arrived less than three minutes after the first emergency calls from the venue were made.

Ventura Sheriff's Sergeant Ron Helus, who later died in hospital, tried to enter the active scene with a local highway patrolman when he was shot several times.

The husband and father-of-one had been a policeman for 29 years and was a professional firearms instructor.

He 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 sheriff said.

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Sheriff Dean, who on Thursday completes his last day serving as Ventura County sheriff, warned: "It doesn't matter how safe your community is, it doesn't matter how low your crime rate is - there are people who just don't think properly everywhere, I don't care where you are, and they commit horrific acts like this."

"There's no way to process. There's no way to make sense out of the senseless."

President Donald Trump issued a proclamation ordering flags to be lowered halfway at the White House and all public and military buildings to commemorate victims of the "terrible" attack.


Police say they have had several minor contacts with Long in recent years, including in April 2018 when they were called to his house after a report of a disturbance.

During talks with police, he appeared "somewhat irate, acting a little irrationally", the sheriff said.

A police crisis intervention team interviewed him, and determined that it was not necessary to hold him against his will in a mental health facility under a so-called 5150 order.

The order allows authorities to involuntarily detain a person for up to 72 hours if it is believed that they pose a threat to themselves or others.

Mental health professionals believed that he suffered from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), the sheriff said.

In a statement, the US Marine Corp confirmed that he had served from 2008 to 2013 as a machine gunner and rose to the rank of corporal.

He served in Afghanistan from November 2010 to June 2011 and received several medals for his military service, including the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Police have just begun to search his home, and expect to know more about him and his possible motive soon.

According to the website Gun Violence Archive, more than 12,000 people have been killed using firearms in the US so far this year, including about 3,000 people under 18.

That number does not include an annual estimate of 22,000 suicides via firearm.

In the last two weeks alone, a man shot dead two people yoga studio in Florida, and another gunman opened fire on a synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46135459
 
even if its mental health issues and not guns which is the issue here, restriction of access to guns will ensure that these mentally ill people do not have access to the guns to carry out these attacks
 
just sad to keep hearing stuff like this, its just normal now, yet this is the world's superpower.

In regards to race, there is one very easy way to know who the shooter is. If they are black, hispanic, or anything that aint white, Trump would be going physco on twitter. When he is silent or releases a tweet he cleary didnt write, then its obvious its a white guy
 
This is really sad. We’re having active shooter drills at work now, this is how bad it is.
 
Majority of the victims of shootings in America are probably pro gun supporters, I have no sympathy for them at all.
 
^we need to bring in strict laws to punish the people spreadin fake news
 
Just think for a moment. If the guy equipped with modern weapons, who is part of an invading army and only has to stay in the battlefield for a short time, comes back and has PTSD causing him to do all sort of messed up thing then what about those who were actually invaded and were the target of the countless airstrikes, bombardments and raids. How much PTSD would those people suffer? Or are we going to pretend that a certain religion in itself is the root cause of extremism.
 
Majority of the victims of shootings in America are probably pro gun supporters, I have no sympathy for them at all.

Come one man. From my perception majority of the victims are school children and they are innocent no matter what.
 
US has become densensitized to gun deaths - sign of times really!
 
Yes and there is another piece of work called "Imam Tawhidi - Imam of peace" who spreads such fake news. Do you know about him?

please dont give that guy any notice, he is searching for it

I know more about him and esentailly he is the kind of guy who will do anything for money. In America, there is market for black people who say all black people are wrong or muslims who say all muslims are wrong. Note I am not saying you cant have divergent views, but there is a big gap between Jesse Lee Peterson and Michael Steele for example.

This so called imam is just the Australian version of that. He has no congregation, his creditionals are very dodgy, but he cozies up with Australian white nationalists and member of the Alt Right, this then allows him to be invited to pro izraeli and pro right wing conferences around the world. Honestly a guy like Majid Nawaz has a millon times more credibility, and that's saying something.
 
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