Witnesses reported a shooter dressed in black threw smoke grenades and opened fire at an 18+ country music night in Ventura County.
The dance floor at a college country dancing night was full Wednesday night when witnesses say a gunman dressed all in black opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun.
At least 12 people —including veteran sergeant Ron Helus—were killed. The gunman was found dead with a gunshot wound that authorities say appears to be self-inflicted.
The shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill was reported to police at 11:20 p.m. Wednesday night. Sheriffs have confirmed there were multiple injuries as well as the 13 people who died, with some hurt in the scramble to get out of the building.
Witnesses who were at the entrance to the club when the shooting began told ABC7 that a young man dressed in black shot the doorman and the cashier at the front desk. The witnesses and a law enforcement official speaking to the Associated Press said the gunman smoke grenades into the building. The gunman, 29, used a .45-caliber handgun, the official told AP. ABC News reports the gun was purchased legally.
Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said Sgt. Helus and a highway patrol officer entered the building three minutes after initial reports. Helus, a veteran of 29 years who, according to the sheriff, planned to retire next year, was hit “multiple times” with gunfire. By the time backup arrived, the gunman and 11 victims were found dead inside the building.
Dean said Helus, who died shortly afterward at a hospital, “died a hero.”
Teylor Whittler, 19, told reporters that she was on the dance floor with friends when she heard the first shot. “I heard the gunshot, I turned around, and I saw him shoot a couple more times,” she said. “In a split second, everyone yelled ‘Get down!’ I ran to the left of the dance floor where the back door is and everyone pretty much piled on top of each other. It was silent for a couple of seconds then all of a sudden a couple of guys that were closer to the bar started running toward the back door and said ‘Get up! He’s coming!’”
‘I Could Hear the Gunshots’: Doctor Rushed to Synagogue
Whittler described the man as being tall, dressed in black with a baseball cap on, and she said he appeared to be an experienced shooter. The eyewitness said: “He had two rounds that I know with him. He changed them within about six seconds, which is really fast, so he knew what he was doing. He also had perfect form. When I look back, he was spot-on.”
One man only identifed as Tim, who said he was at the entrance when the shooting began, said the man had a powerful handgun. “He shot the doorman, just a young man, he shot the cashier, just a young girl,” he said. “He just started shooting and I should have stayed until he changed his clip but I was worried about my boy. I should have stayed, I apologize to anybody who got hurt. I’m sorry. They’re all young, I’m 56, I’ve lived a life. They’re all young. This shouldn’t happen.”
The eyewitness confirmed that it was college night at the nightclub, where his stepson was among the crowd. “There were just young people, like young, 18, 19, 20, just having a great time,” he said. “Then this maniac came in and started shooting at people for no reason at all. These people never hurt anyone in their lives, they’re just kids. They’re just kids.”
His stepson John Hedge said: “I was at the front door and I was talking to my stepdad. I just started hearing these big pops. Pop, pop, pop. There was probably three or four, I hit the ground. I look up—the security guard is dead. Well, I don’t want to say he was dead, but he was shot. He was down. The gunman was throwing smoke grenades all over the place. I saw him point to the back of the cash register… and he just kept firing. I ran out the front door.”
Other eyewitnesses described how they smashed windows with barstools in a desperate bid to escape. Hundreds of people are believed to have been inside the building at the time of the attack. Others hid in restrooms, basements, and attics as the gunman fired.
ABC7
Authorities have not confirmed eyewitness accounts of smoke bombs or details of the gunman. Sheriff Dean said police “don’t know anything” about the suspect at this stage, and didn’t speculate on his motive, saying they had “no idea if there’s a terrorism link to this event or not.”
The sheriff broke down when asked about his dead colleague, saying: “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 because he went in to save lives, to save other people.”
California Lutheran University and California State University, Channel Islands, as well as Moorpark, Ventura and Oxnard College are all near the club. Students from Pepperdine University in Malibu were also believed to be at the event.
Pepperdine said in a statement: “The university has received reports that several Pepperdine students were at Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks this evening when a gunman reportedly entered the building and began shooting. At this time, the university is working to identify and provide support to those students.”
The Oxnard Police Department confirmed it had sent patrol and SWAT resources to assist. The FBI are also on the scene.