Gunman kills 12 at Thousand Oaks bar

A gunman threw smoke bombs and rained bullets on a crowd of more than a hundred people inside a Thousand Oaks bar Wednesday night, killing a dozen patrons and a Ventura County sheriff’s sergeant who was trying to stop the carnage.

The gunman, identified by law enforcement sources as Ian Long, 29, of Newbury Park, died in the incident. The shooter was dressed in black when he burst into the Borderline Bar & Grill, a country music-themed venue popular with college students, around 11:20 p.m., according to Sheriff Geoff Dean.

A law enforcement source, who was not authorized to discuss the case and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the shooter was armed with a Glock .45-caliber handgun and a “smoke device.”

Authorities said Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus and a California Highway Patrol officer entered the bar first and were met with gunfire from the suspect, whose identity was not immediately known. Helus was shot several times and died at an area hospital early Thursday morning, according to Dean.

A 29-year veteran of the department, Helus was planning to retire next year, and Dean said he died “a hero.”

He is survived by a son and his wife, whom he called before entering the bar, Dean said.