Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jason Coffman: The last thing I said was 'Son, I love you."

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 cleared him after he was found behaving "irrationally" at his home, said authorities.

Image copyright CBS Image caption The suspect had served in the US Marines and fought in Afghanistan

How did the shooting happen?

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 reloaded during the attack.

One witness, Teylor Whittler, who was celebrating a friend's 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.

Image copyright EPA Image caption The night is popular among the area's local university students

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

One survivor said he and his friends also escaped death last year in the deadliest US mass shooting of modern times, when a gunman killed 58 people at a Las Vegas country music concert.

Nicholas Champion told CBS News: "We're all a big family and unfortunately this family got hit twice."

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

Nightmare without end

By James Cook, BBC News, Thousand Oaks

For the United States, this is the nightmare that never ends.

The names of countless schools, churches, colleges and even entire cities have become synonymous with mass murder. To the list of Las Vegas, Orlando, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Sutherland Springs and Parkland we now add Thousand Oaks.

At the Borderline Bar and Grill survivors huddled together in the darkness, shivering in the clothes they had been wearing in the warm, friendly bar. Many of the patrons were regulars who had come to enjoy country music and dance together.

The mood among the little groups of friends was one of shock and despair - but what was absent was a sense of surprise.

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.

Image copyright Social Media Image caption Sgt Ron Helus was one of the first officers on the scene

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," the sheriff said. "He died a hero. He went in to save lives, to save other people."

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.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Survivors of California shooting describe what they saw.

"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.

Who is the suspect?

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.

What is PTSD?

Being caught up in a traumatic event that is overwhelming, frightening and life-threatening can lead to PTSD

The symptoms usually start within a few weeks of the trauma, but they can start later

After the traumatic event people can feel grief-stricken, depressed, anxious, guilty and angry

People may have flashbacks and nightmares

People may be 'on guard' - staying alert all the time

Physical symptoms can be aches and pains, diarrhoea, irregular heartbeats, headaches, feelings of panic and fear, depression

People may start drinking too much alcohol or using drugs (including painkillers).

Source: Royal College of Psychiatrists

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

In a statement, the US Marine Corp confirmed that he had served from 2008-13 as a machine gunner and rose to the rank of corporal.

He served in Afghanistan from November 2010 to June 2011 and received the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

According to the website Gun Violence Archive, more than 12,000 people have been killed by 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.</s>Eleven people were injured after a gunman opened fire at a country-music bar late Wednesday in Thousand Oaks, Calif., authorities said.

Police responded to a call about the shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill at around 11:20 p.m., said Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Garo Kuredjian.

The gunman was dead inside the bar following the...</s>Here are some ways to help those impacted by the mass shooting at a Thousand Oaks nightclub, where a gunman opened fire and killed 12 people Multiple blood drives are being held to help the victims:Ventura County Health Care Agency (125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks)La Reina High School (106 West Janss Rd., Thousand Oaks) from Thursday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Best Western/Thousand Oaks Inn (75 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks)To donate at La Reina High School or the Best Western/Thousand Oaks Inn, you need to register online atA blood drive is being held Thursday at La Reina High School (106 West Janss Road, Thousand Oaks) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Also, you can donate to a fund set up to support the victims. To make a donation, visit. The fund was set up by the Ventura County Community Foundation, in coordination with the city of Thousand Oaks, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and others.</s>A woman wearing a blanket stands next to a police office near the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Nov. 8, 2018.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Twelve people, including a sheriff's sergeant, were killed by a tall, hooded gunman dressed in black who opened fire inside a crowded country dance bar in Southern California late Wednesday.

Authorities said the gunfire broke out at the Borderline Bar & Grill, a country-western dance bar in Thousand Oaks, which is about 40 miles west of Los Angeles. It was reportedly college night at the venue.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus and a highway patrolman were responding to several 911 calls when they arrived at the bar. They heard gunfire and went inside. Helus was immediately hit with multiple gunshots, and died at a hospital early Thursday.

The gunman also died. Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said authorities did not yet know the name of the shooter or his motive.

USA TODAY will provide live coverage of the scene and updates from police as they happen. Watch in the player above.</s>Twelve people were killed after a Marine combat veteran opened fire during college night at a country music bar in Southern California.

Investigators are still working to identify all of the victims and notify their families. As more names are released publicly they will be added below.

Ventura County Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus was shot late Wednesday when he entered the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif., after reports of a shooting.

He is being described as a "cop's cop" that would take on some of the toughest assignments and was on the SWAT team, according to a friend, Sgt. Eric Buschow.

The Ventura County Sheriff said the report of the shooting came as Helus was on the phone with his wife. The sheriff said Helus told her, "Hey I gotta go handle a call. I love you. I'll talk to you later."

Ventura County Sheriff's Sergeant Ron Helus was killed when he confronted a gunman at a Southern California bar late Wednesday.

Colleagues of Helus described him as a friend and an exceptional man and officer.

Helus was married with a grown son and took up fly fishing a few years ago, Buschow said. He loved fishing in the Sierra Nevada mountains with his son.

According to his father, 22-year-old Cody Coffman is among the 12 people who died in the shooting. Jason Coffman told reporters the last thing he told his son Cody was "I love you."

"I've been here fighting for him all morning long, and we did just get the news that he was one of the 11 killed last night. He was Cody Coffman, my first-born son," Jason Coffman tearfully described.

He added that Cody Coffman had dreams of joining the military and had been talking to Army recruiters.

Before authorities told him Cody was one of the victims Jason Coffman had said he was afraid his son "went toward the action" because he was the type of person who would stand up for others.

Jason Coffman displays a photo of his son Cody outside the Thousands Oaks Teene Center where he came hoping to find his son who was at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, on November 8, 2018.

23-year-old Justin Meek was killed in Wednesday night's shooting, according to a statement on Thursday from California Lutheran University. The statement said Meek was a recent graduate of the university, which is located a few miles from the Borderline Bar & Grill.

"Meek heroically saved lives in the incident," the statement said. The university planned on holding several memorials and gatherings throughout the day to remember the victims.

Alaina Housley, a freshman at Pepperdine University, was killed during the attack at the Borderline Bar & Grill on Wednesday night, her aunt and "The Real" host Tamera Mowry-Housley said in a statement.

A statement issued to USA TODAY on behalf of Mowry-Housley and her husband, former Fox News correspondent Adam Housley, confirmed their niece was a victim in the mass shooting.

"Our hearts are broken. We just learned that our niece Alaina was one of the victims of last night’s shooting at Borderline bar in Thousand Oaks," the couple stated via their joint representative, Chantal Artur. "Alaina was an incredible young woman with so much life ahead of her and we are devastated that her life was cut short in this manner. We thank everyone for your prayers and ask for privacy at this time."

Earlier Thursday, the couple took to social media to frantically look for Alaina.

Mowry-Housley gushed over her niece on Instagram in March of last year.

This story will be updated as more victims are identified.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>At least eleven people were injured, including a sheriff’s deputy, during a mass shooting at a bar in Southern California on late Wednesday.

Authorities said shots were fired and people hit at the Borderline Bar & Grill, a country-western dance bar in Thousand Oaks, which is about 40 miles west of Los Angeles.

The extent of the victims' injuries was not immediately clear. Hundreds of people were inside the bar when the shooting occurred, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Law enforcement and emergency crews flooded the scene and police urged the public to avoid the area. The perpetrator of the assault may still be at large.

"It's still a very active scene," said Capt. Garo Kuredjian of Ventura County police.

Officers at the scene said the gunman might have used smoke bombs in the incident, but authorities later said they could not confirm that.

Earlier eyewitness accounts suggested that the shooter, who may have dressed all in black with a large trench coat, threw a smoke grenade into the bar before opening fire with a semi-automatic weapon. Shots were still being fired when officers arrived on the scene.

Officers indicated that about 30 shots had been fired and that victims fled from the bar into the surrounding neighborhood.

The Borderline Bar & Grill describes itself on its website as the county's "Largest Country Dance Hall & Live Music Venue" with 2,500 square feet of open dance floor. It was reportedly college night at the venue when the shooting occurred.</s>People comfort each other at the scene of a mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Nov. 8, 2018.

Some survivors who were inside a California bar during a mass shooting leaving 13 dead, including the gunman, also escaped another mass shooting last year in Las Vegas, according to reports.

Three witnesses who spoke to The Los Angeles Times said they knew people inside the Borderline Bar & Grill, a country-western themed bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif., during the shooting who had also survived a mass shooting during an outdoor country music festival in October 2017.

"A lot of people in the Route 91 situation go here," Chandler Gunn, 23, told the Times. "There’s people that live a whole lifetime without seeing this, and then there’s people that have seen it twice."

Carl Edgar, 24, said a lot of his friends survived the Vegas attack, where 58 people died.

"If they survived that, they’ll survive this," Edgar told the Times. Edgar also said all of his friends appear to be safe.

More: What we know about the fatal mass shooting at a Thousand Oaks, California, dance bar

Chris Weber, who rushed to the bar after learning a friend might have been shot, told The New York Times he believed people inside the bar at the time had also attended the festival.

Journalists on the scene have said on Twitter they have heard similar stories about victims who had survived both shootings.

On Wednesday night, a gunman entered the Borderline Bar & Grill and opened fire, killing eleven people and a sheriff's sergeant. The shooter also died during the attack.

More: 'Horrific scene': Sheriff’s sergeant, 11 others dead in Thousand Oaks, California, bar shooting

More: 'He died a hero': Ventura County Sheriff Sgt. Ron Helus among those killed in bar shooting</s>In just three minutes Wednesday night, 12 people were killed, and many others injured after after a gunman unloaded his semi-automatic handgun in Southern California bar in Southern California.

About 40 miles west of Los Angeles, hundreds of people — many of them college students — were inside the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif. At least 11 people were killed at the scene; a deputy later died from his injuries, said Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean. The gunman, later identified by police as Ian David Long, was found dead inside.

Here's a look at how the Wednesday evening's events unfolded, as detailed by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department:

The western-style bar’s website says it’s the county's "largest dance hall and live music venue," with a 2,500 square-foot dance floor, pool room, and areas for eating and drinking. It's been open for more than 25 years.

The bar is popular with students from nearby California Lutheran University and is close to California State University Channel Islands, Pepperdine University and Moorpark College. “Multiple” Pepperdine University students who attend school in Malibu were at the bar during the shooting, the university said Thursday morning.

According to witnesses, Long says nothing as he shoot. People use furniture to break windows and jump out of second-floor windows to escape. Some hide under pool tables, others in an attic.

The shooting lasts for about three minutes, but it's one of the most deadly of the year.

Sgt. Ron Helus, of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, died after being shot while responding to a mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

After deputy Helus had been shot several times, the patrolman pulls him out of the building. Other officers soon arrive, enter the building and find 11 people dead.

Helus, a 29-year veteran of the department, was looking to retire "in the next year or so," Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said.

"Ron was a hardworking dedicated sheriff’s sergeant," said Dean, trying to hold back tears. "He was totally committed. He gave his all. Tonight, as I told his wife, he died a hero because he went in to save lives, to save other people."

Helus, 54, was survived by his wife and son.

A Marine corporal, Long served for five years from 2008 to 2013, including a tour in Afghanistan, according to Marine Corps records. He was known to law enforcement for minor offenses, including traffic violations.

The home of suspected nightclub shooter Ian David Long is searched on November 8 2018, in Thousand Oaks, California. - The gunman who killed 12 people in a crowded California country music bar has been identified as 28-year-old Ian David Long, a former Marine, the local sheriff said Thursday. The suspect, who was armed with a .45-caliber handgun, was found deceased at the Borderline Bar and Grill, the scene of the shooting in the city of Thousand Oaks northwest of downtown Los Angeles. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images ORG XMIT: Shooting ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1AO6HY</s>Sgt. Ron Helus, of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, died after being shot while responding to a mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Nov. 8, 2018.

Sheriff Sgt. Ron Helus "died a hero" after being shot by a gunman who killed 11 others at Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California.

Helus was among the first to arrive on the scene, entering the bar with a California Highway Patrol officer. Helus exchanged gunfire with the suspect, identified by authorities as Ian David Long, before being shot multiple times. Helus died at the hospital Thursday morning.

Helus, a 29-year veteran of the department, was looking to retire "in the next year or so," Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said.

"Ron was a hardworking dedicated sheriff’s sergeant," said Dean, trying to hold back tears. "He was totally committed. He gave his all. Tonight, as I told his wife, he died a hero because he went in to save lives, to save other people." Helus, 54, was survived by his wife and son.

On Wednesday night, a gunman dressed in black opened fire at the country dance bar in Southern California, killing Helus and 11 others. The shooter, apparently firing at random, also died.

Prior to heading to the scene, Helus talked to his wife, as he does several times during his shift, Dean said.

"Hey I gotta go handle a call. I love you. I’ll talk to you later," Dean said of the conversation.

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office said it will hold a procession for Helus on Thursday morning. "Ron’s selfless, heroic actions will never be forgotten," said the office in a statement. "Our hearts go out to his family and friends during this difficult time."

More: Sheriff’s sergeant, 11 other victims dead in Thousand Oaks, Calif., bar shooting

More: What we know about the fatal mass shooting at a Thousand Oaks, California, dance bar

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>THOUSAND OAKS — Authorities say there were at least 11 injuries — including one officer — after a man opened fire in a Southern California bar late Wednesday.

Police tell the Ventura County Star that the initial report came around 11:20 p.m. that a man opened fire at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, which is about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The extent of the victims’ injuries wasn’t immediately known.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Garo Kuredjian said early Thursday that it was still “a very active scene.”

Witnesses tell ABC News that a man fired several shots from a handgun before tossing smoke bombs and starting to fire again.

At least one officer was injured, the Ventura County Star reported.

The Ventura County Fire Department said on social media at 12:11 a.m. Thursday that it was an active incident.

The Borderline is a popular country music hall at 99 Rolling Oaks Dr. The bar — which was promoting College Country Night on Wednesday night — is near the 101 Freeway and Moorpark Road.
At least 12 people, including a police sergeant, are killed while ten others are injured by a gunman at the Thousand Oaks Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California at around 11:15 PM PST (UTC-8). The gunman committed suicide at the end of the attack after a stand-off with police.