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Thousand Oaks shooting

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On November 7, 2018, a mass shooting occurred in Thousand Oaks, California, United States, at the Borderline Bar and Grill, a country-western bar frequented by college students.[5] Thirteen people were killed, including the perpetrator, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound,[6][7] and a police officer who was shot multiple times, with the fatal round accidentally being fired by another officer.[8][9] One other person sustained a gunshot wound, while fifteen others were injured by incidental causes.[4]

Thousand Oaks shooting
Flowers outside Borderline Bar and Grill
Location of the shooting
Location of the shooting
Thousand Oaks
Thousand Oaks (southern California)
LocationBorderline Bar and Grill
99 Rolling Oaks Drive
Thousand Oaks, California, U.S.
Coordinates34°10′36″N 118°52′29″W / 34.17667°N 118.87472°W / 34.17667; -118.87472
DateNovember 7, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-11-07)
11:18 – 11:38 p.m. PST (UTC−8)
Attack type
Mass shooting, mass murder, murder-suicide
Weapons
Deaths13 (including the perpetrator and 1 by stray police gunfire)
Injured16[4]
PerpetratorIan David Long

Police identified the killer as 28-year-old Ian David Long, a United States Marine Corps veteran.[10][11]

Events

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At 11:18 p.m., a gunman, later identified as Ian David Long, entered the Borderline Bar and Grill and opened fire on the approximately 260 patrons and employees inside.[3][12] At the time, the bar was hosting a regularly scheduled College Country Night event, and it was popular among students in the area, especially those from Pepperdine University,[13][14][15] California Lutheran University, California State University Channel Islands,[16] and Moorpark College.[5] Long was armed with a legally purchased .45-caliber Glock 21 semi-automatic pistol with a Viridian X5L tactical weapon light and laser sight[8] and seven banned high-capacity magazines,[17] carrying a total of 190 rounds, along with a folding knife, ten smoke bombs, and two fireworks.[3][12][18]

Upon entering through the bar's front door, Long first killed the cashier nearby, then started shooting at the patrons.[3] He fired a total of 61 rounds[12] and threw smoke bombs.[5][19][20] Many of the victims died in the first few minutes of the shooting while they were lying on the floor or trying to charge at Long.[3] Witnesses described the gunman as a heavily tattooed white male dressed entirely in black.[19] Some people shattered the bar's windows, allowing many to flee, while some others hid in an employee bathroom or the attic.[3] During the shooting, Long answered a phone call made by the mother of a patron who escaped, and he also made several posts on Instagram expressing his thoughts.[3][21]

At 11:19 p.m., two California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers on a traffic stop nearby were alerted to the shooting by people who had managed to escape. They arrived at the bar's parking lot a minute later and were joined by Ventura County Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus four minutes after that. The three officers ventured towards the building, with Helus and one of the CHP officers entering at 11:25 p.m. A minute later, they came under fire from Long, who had been monitoring their movements through the nine security cameras visible on a monitor in the front office where he had been taking shelter.[12][22] In the ensuing gunfight, Helus was shot five times by Long, who used a flashlight with a laser sight on his pistol in the large, darkened, smoke-filled room.[3][23] Positioned between Long and the CHP officer, Helus was also accidentally struck by a bullet from the officer's rifle that went through his heart and fatally wounded him.[8] Initially there was confusion and miscommunication as to whether there was an officer down. Responding Ventura County Sheriff's deputies, who were securing the perimeter, located and evacuated Helus outside the building 20 minutes after he had been shot. A SWAT team and other police officers arrived on the scene shortly afterwards.[19]

Long stopped his attack following the exchange of gunfire with police. At 11:37 p.m., he lit a firework and threw it out of the bar's front office. Forty seconds later, he threw another firework out of the office. At 11:38 p.m., he committed suicide by shooting himself under the chin.[12][24] Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Homeland Security were deployed to further investigate the scene along with EMTs and paramedics from the Ventura County Fire Department and AMR to assist victims.[5][25][26] Nineteen survivors were rescued from inside the bar in total.[12]

Victims

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Nine men and three women died during the shooting. Seven were college students, and one other a recent graduate. The four others killed were 54-year-old Ventura County Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus; a 48-year-old bouncer; a 33-year-old Marine Corps veteran; and a 27-year-old Navy veteran who was at the 2017 Las Vegas shooting during the Route 91 Harvest music festival.[6][27][28][29][30] They all died from multiple gunshots, and one victim was also stabbed in the neck.[31] Ten of the civilians died inside the bar, while the eleventh died outside.[12] Sixteen others were injured, with only one being injured by gunfire.[4][6][19][31]

Perpetrator

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Long in 2017

Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean identified the gunman as 28-year-old Ian David Long.[32] His gun was reportedly purchased legally.[33][34] Long's parents separated and eventually divorced when he was two to three years old.[12] His father died while he was still a child;[12] according to a cousin, it was from cancer.[35] He and his mother moved frequently due to her job, but they eventually settled in nearby Newbury Park.[12] While he previously lived with roommates in Reseda, Long was living with his mother at the time of the shooting.[36][37] Long's friends said he had been at the bar with them, and some considered him a regular patron.[38]

Long attended Newbury Park High School for his junior and senior years, graduating in June 2008.[12] He served in the United States Marine Corps from August 2008 to March 2013, reaching the rank of corporal, and he had gone to Afghanistan from November 2010 to June 2011. After being honorably discharged, Long attended California State University, Northridge as an athletic training major from 2013 to 2016, but he did not graduate.[12][39] During this time, he had been involved in a motorcycle accident that left him with a collapsed lung; his motorcycle helmet was cracked, and he was diagnosed with "adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), combat and military operational stress reaction, and chronic pain."[12] According to his mother, he had begun to "unravel" after the incident. Long had two prior contacts with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, one in 2006 involving a traffic collision and the other in 2015 involving a bar fight; no charges were filed in either incident.[12]

Police and a mental health crisis team visited Long in 2017 for his irate and irrational behavior, but they decided not to detain him at a psychiatric facility.[39][40] A high school teacher raised claims that Long had physically assaulted her as a student but she was encouraged not to push the incident so as to not endanger his future in the Marine Corps. In her statement, the teacher alleged that Long had issues long before his military service.[41] Although he had served overseas in the military, behavioral scientist and clinical psychologist Lisa Jaycox said that it was premature to say whether Long suffered from PTSD or if it was a factor in the shooting.[37][11][42]

Investigation

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A 434-page report from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office was released in June 2021, which detailed the findings of the investigation into Long's actions and motivation. It concluded that Long had held a strong disdain for civilians and anyone not associated with any branch of the US military, and that he had suffered from PTSD from his time in the military. However, the Ventura sheriff stated that the investigation did not show with absolute certainty that a hatred of college students was the motive, instead it was more a working theory. The report had been compiled with information from interviews with eyewitnesses, officers and deputies, and family, friends and acquaintances of Long and was a joint effort by Ventura County sheriff's detectives and FBI analysts.[43] Investigators detailed several encounters that Long had with other students at California State University, Northridge, such as a time when another student told him that "anyone who joined the military deserved to be shot and killed overseas", potentially fueling his separation from and animosity towards other students.[44]

A separate 86-page report was released in March 2021 by the Ventura County Sheriff with thirty recommendations for the sheriff's department to improve their response to mass shootings. Earlier in the year, similar findings had been released by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.[45]

Aftermath

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Within 24 hours of the shooting, the Woolsey Fire forced the evacuation of many people in the area, including several survivors.[46] The mother of a victim who died in the Thousand Oaks shooting after surviving the 2017 Las Vegas shooting called for gun control legislation from legislators.[47][48][49][50] The only gun store in the town told reporters that there was an increase in individuals looking to purchase a weapon for protection on the day after the shooting.[51]

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors formed the Task Force on Mental Health & Safety in response to the shooting. Initially composed of key county officials, the ongoing task force looks for gaps in the systems that protect the public and that provide mental health care and makes recommendations on how to prevent and lessen the damage from mass shootings.[52]

In 2019, the owners of Borderline Bar & Grill said they planned to renovate and re-open the location.[53] In 2020, they opened a different location in Agoura Hills, California, called BL Dancehall & Saloon.[54]

In 2022 the Ventura County Sheriff's Office released to its website multiple audio and video recordings from the shooting after being sued by The Star and other media organizations for access to the materials. In total the county released all recordings of police radio communication, ninety-four emergency calls, security footage from inside the bar and fourteen dashboard and body-camera videos from responding officers.[55]

Memorials

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Susan Orfanos, whose son was killed in the shooting, meets with Julia Brownley and Dianne Feinstein about gun violence in 2020.

On November 15, 2018, the funeral for Helus was held. Law enforcement officers, local and state leaders including California Governor Jerry Brown and Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom, as well as local citizens attended his funeral.[56] A vigil at Calvary Community Church in nearby Westlake Village, for two of their congregation, was attended by around 500 mourners.[57]

Numerous national sports teams highlighted the victims and donated money to those affected by the shooting.[58] Victims were provided with these donations immediately after the shooting. Each victim's family was provided with $20,000 for burial costs.[59] After a third distribution in March 2019, a total of $3.6 million had been contributed by more than 25,000 people and through more than 200 fundraisers. The funds were distributed to the families of victims, those physically injured, and others present in the establishment.[59] A local foundation received and distributed the funds in a cooperative effort without charging any administrative fees.[60]

The "Healing Garden" memorial at Conejo Creek Park was dedicated a year after the incident.[61] In 2021 it was announced that twelve sculptures to represent the lives lost would be installed in the Civic Arts Plaza Park.[62]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Fauria, Krysta (November 8, 2018). "Marine combat veteran kills 12 in California bar shooting: 'It looked like he knew what he was doing'". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  2. ^ Mindock, Clark; Riotta, Chris; Osborne, Samuel (November 8, 2018). "California shooting - live updates: Police search for motive in Thousand Oaks bar massacre as gunman Ian David Long identified". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Karlamangla, Soumya; Mejia, Brittny (December 31, 2018). "Must Reads: Friends took this photo at their favorite bar in Thousand Oaks. Minutes later, the shooting started". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Active Shooter Incidents in the United States in 2018". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d Staff (November 8, 2018). "Thousand Oaks shooting: 13, including officer, killed at Borderline Bar & Grill". Ventura County Star. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c "Thousand Oaks: Las Vegas shooting survivor among dead". BBC. November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  7. ^ Cooper, Jonathan J. (November 10, 2018). "Gunman who killed 12 died from self-inflicted gunshot". Associated Press. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  8. ^ a b c Karlamangla, Soumya; Fry, Hannah (December 7, 2018). "CHP officer's bullet killed sheriff's deputy who responded to Thousand Oaks bar shooting". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  9. ^ Wilson, Kathleen (May 7, 2019). "'Unprecedented in scope and size': Nothing prepared detectives for Borderline shooting". Ventura County Star. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  10. ^ "Thousand Oaks: Ex-Marine Ian David Long identified as suspect". BBC News. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Burke, Caroline (November 8, 2018). "Ian David Long's Military Background: The Shooter Was a Former Marine". Heavy.com. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Report on the November 7, 2018, Use of Deadly Force by California Highway Patrol Officer Todd Barrett and Ventura County Sheriff's Sergeant Ronald Helus at the Borderline Bar & Grill Mass Shooting Incident (PDF) (Report). Ventura County District Attorney's Office. December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  13. ^ "Borderline Bar & Grill - CALENDAR". California | Borderline Bar & Grill. November 8, 2018. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018. College Country Night! Learn to Dance w/Lessons at 9:30 & 10:30
  14. ^ Berson, Scott (November 8, 2018). "At least 13 dead in bar shooting, niece of Emmy-winning actress among the victims". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  15. ^ "12 Killed In California Bar Shooting, Gunman Dead". New Delhi, India: NDTV. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  16. ^ Said-Moorhouse, Lauren; Picheta, Rob; Rocha, Veronica; Wagner, Meg; Yeung, Jessie (November 8, 2018). "12 dead in California bar shooting". CNN. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  17. ^ Jaffe, Ina (November 28, 2018). "Authorities Describe 'Confusion And Chaos' At Borderline Bar Shooting In California". NPR. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  18. ^ Ayub, Billy (March 2021). "2018 Borderline Bar and Grill Mass Shooting Public Safety Response After Action Review" (PDF). Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d Smith, Alexander; Williams, Pete; Blankstein, Andrew; Jamieson, Alastair; Siemaszko, Corky (November 8, 2018). "Mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California". NBC News. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  20. ^ "Twelve killed after gunman opens fire in California bar". Sky News. November 8, 2018.
  21. ^ "What Thousand Oaks shooting suspect posted to social media during massacre". Los Angeles, California: KABC-TV. November 9, 2018. Archived from the original on November 11, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  22. ^ Lai, Stephanie (December 18, 2020). "Ventura County district attorney's office releases new details on Borderline mass shooting". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  23. ^ Myers, Amanda Lee (December 7, 2018). "In darkness and chaos, deputy killed by friendly fire". The Charlotte Observer. Associated Press. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  24. ^ Ayub, Billy (March 2021). "2018 Borderline Bar and Grill Mass Shooting Public Safety Response After Action Review" (PDF). Ventura County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  25. ^ Greene, Sean; Tchekmedyian, Alene; Mejia, Brittny; Parvini, Sarah; Queally, James; Winton, Richard; Nelson, Jaura J.; Fry, Hannah (November 8, 2018). "Thousand Oaks shooting leaves 13 people dead, including gunman, and 18 injured". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  26. ^ Gambardello, Tornoe, Joseph, Rob (November 8, 2018). "'It's a horrific scene': California bar shooting leaves 12 dead, including police officer". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 27, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ Fedschun, Travis (November 8, 2018). "California Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus killed in bar shooting, 'died a hero,' made last call to wife". Fox News. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  28. ^ Kartje, Ryan (November 9, 2018). "Sean Adler, 48, Thousand Oaks mass shooting victim, recently opened his dream business". The San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  29. ^ Grinberg, Emanuella; Crespo, Gisela; Silverman, Hollie (November 9, 2018). "Thousand Oaks victims include college student and law enforcement officer". CNN. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  30. ^ Huckabee, Tyler (November 9, 2018). "Here Are the Victims of the Thousand Oaks Shooting". Relevant. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  31. ^ a b Levenson, Eric; Chan, Stella (November 27, 2018). "Thousand Oaks gunman used smoke grenades to create chaos, then waited to ambush police". CNN. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  32. ^ Del Real, Jose A.; Mullany, Gerry; Goldman, Russell (November 8, 2018). "California Shooting Kills 12 at Country Music Bar, a Year After Las Vegas". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  33. ^ "Thousand Oaks shooter used .45-caliber handgun w/ extended clip". Los Angeles, California: KABC-TV. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  34. ^ Granda, Carlos (December 7, 2018). "Sergeant in California mass shooting killed by friendly fire". ABC13 Houston. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  35. ^ Eustachewich, Lia (November 8, 2018). "California shooter Ian David Long was 'weird' loner, danced in garage".
  36. ^ Medina, Jennifer; Kovaleski, Serge F.; Haag, Matthew (November 8, 2018). "What we know about Thousand Oaks shooting suspect, Ian David Long". Durham, North Carolina: WTVD. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  37. ^ a b Netburn, Deborah (November 10, 2018). "The role of PTSD in mass shootings: Let's separate myth from reality". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  38. ^ Eric Levenson, Jose Pagliery and Majlie de Puy Kamp (November 8, 2018). "Thousand Oaks gunman was a Marine veteran who often visited the site of the shooting". CNN.
  39. ^ a b Levenson, Eric; Pagliery, Jose; Kamp, Majlie de Puy (November 8, 2018). "Thousand Oaks gunman was a Marine veteran who often visited the site of the shooting". CNN. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  40. ^ Woodyard, Chris; Della Cava, Marco (November 8, 2018). "What we know about Thousand Oaks gunman Ian David Long, a Marine veteran". USA Today. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  41. ^ "Thousand Oaks Gunman's High School Coach Speaks About Sexual Assault". Los Angeles, California: KCAL-TV. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  42. ^ Medina, Jennifer; Philipps, Dave; Kovaleski, Serge F. (November 8, 2018). "Dueling Images: A Smiling Young Marine and a Killer Dressed in Black". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  43. ^ Kesslen, Ben (July 1, 2021). "Gunman in 2018 Thousand Oaks shooting motivated by hatred of college students, report says". NBC News. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  44. ^ Winton, Richard (July 3, 2021). "Mass shooting suspect likely targeted Borderline bar on 'college night' because of disdain for students". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  45. ^ Wilson, Kathleen; Carlson, Cheri (March 10, 2021). "Flawed communication, supervision issues found in response to Borderline shooting". Ventura County Star. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  46. ^ Jaffe, Ina (December 15, 2018). "After The Thousand Oaks' Shooting, A Community-Wide Effort To Memorialize And Heal". NPR. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  47. ^ Cummings, William (November 11, 2018). "Court blocked law that would have made possession of magazine in Thousand Oaks illegal". USA Today. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  48. ^ Orozco, Lance (November 30, 2018). "Mother Of One Of The Borderline Bar And Grill Victims Turns Pain Into Anti-Gun Activism". Thousand Oaks, California: KCLU-FM. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  49. ^ "Mom of Thousand Oaks shooting victim: 'I don't want thoughts. I want gun control'". San Francisco, California: KRON-TV. Associated Press. November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  50. ^ Pitofsky, Marina (November 9, 2018). "Thousand Oaks shooting victim's mother pleads, 'I don't want thoughts. I want gun control'". USA Today. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  51. ^ Garcia-Roberts, Gus (November 9, 2018). "At the only gun shop in Thousand Oaks, fearful residents decide it's time to buy a gun". USA Today. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  52. ^ Wilson, Kathleen (March 27, 2019). "Task force begins tackling ways to prevent mass shootings". Ventura County Star. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  53. ^ Carlson, Cheri; Harris, Mike. "Borderline Bar & Grill owners announce plans to reopen T.O. venue, site of mass shooting". Ventura County Star.
  54. ^ "Borderline Bar and Grill opens new location in Agoura Hills". ABC7 Los Angeles. January 25, 2020.
  55. ^ "County releases trove of audio, video recordings from Borderline mass shooting — 3 years later". Ventura County Star. January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  56. ^ Aradillas, Elaine (November 15, 2018). "First Responder Was Killed in Restaurant Mass Shooting at Same Place Where He Proposed to His Wife". People. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  57. ^ Kisken, Tom (November 9, 2018). "'I just wonder what's next': Thousand Oaks residents deal with mass shooting, horrific fire". USA Today. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  58. ^ Boren, Cindy (November 11, 2018). "Rams' Andrew Whitworth donates game check to Thousand Oaks shooting victims, families". The Washington Post.
  59. ^ a b Reyes-Velarde, Alejandra (March 27, 2019). "$3.6 million in donations distributed to Borderline shooting survivors". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  60. ^ Wilson, Kathleen (March 23, 2019). "$3.6 million sent to families, survivors in Borderline shooting". Ventura County Star. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  61. ^ Bravo, Samantha (November 19, 2019). "Memorial Garden Opens in Thousand Oaks on Borderline Shooting Anniversary". The Malibu Times. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  62. ^ Suter, Leanne (November 8, 2021). "Community remembers 12 lives lost on 3rd anniversary of Borderline shooting". ABC7 Los Angeles. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
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