At least 12 people have been killed after a gunman opened fire at a popular bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Late on Wednesday.
Police responded to a shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks just before 11:30 p.m. Local time on Wednesday, according to local reports. It’s believed that the gunman shot the bar’s bouncer and ignited smoke devices before he started opening fire on the crowded dance floor. Local television reports said that the gunman was dressed in black and used a handgun with a “light or laser attached to the bottom of it.” Local law enforcement officials are still investigating the incident. The gunman is confirmed dead.
The names of those who died in the incident have not been released, but local reports did say that a 29-year veteran of the sheriff’s department, Ron Helus, was among those killed.
The Borderline Bar & Grill is a popular bar in Southern California. It’s especially busy on Wednesday nights with local college students. There were reportedly hundreds of people inside the bar at the time of the incident.
According to The Los Angeles Times, which spoke to people in the bar and friends of those who were at Borderline, some of the people there also survived the Las Vegas shooting last year, when a gunman opened fire on a crowd and killed 58 people.
Ventura County’s Fire Department has established a hotline for families to find out about their loved ones. They can call 805-465-6650 for more information.