THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA — A dozen people are dead after a gunman opened fire inside a packed bar in California on Wednesday night.<br /><br />USA Today reports that over a hundred college students were inside the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks for Country College Night when gunman Ian David Long approached outside and shot the security guard with a .45-caliber Glock 21.<br /><br />The 28-year-old then threw a smoke bomb inside the premises and shot at employees near the front, before firing into the crowd of people on the dance floor.<br /><br />Scared patrons began fleeing. Some used bar stools to break the windows and escape.<br />Others ran out the back, hid under pool tables, in the attic, or in the bathroom.<br /><br />Ventura County deputy Ron Helus was first at the scene with a highway officer. They engaged the suspect in a shootout, but Deputy Telus was shot several times and later died. In all, 12 people were killed in the shooting.<br /><br />According to the Los Angeles Times, Long was dead when officers found him at the scene, and an autopsy later determined he had died from a self-inflicted gunshot.<br /><br />Long had been a former Marine machine gunner, and is said to have carried the attack out with military efficiency, though authorities have yet to determine a motive.<br /><br />A former coach described him as physically combative during his teen years, while a mental health specialist that assessed him recently thought he could be suffering from PTSD.
