At least 13 people are dead, including a sheriff's deputy, and nearly a dozen more are injured after a mass shooting late Wednesday night at a Southern California bar, witnesses and authorities say.
Police responded to the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, about 40 miles west of Los Angeles, just before midnight local time after multiple shots were fired. It was college country night at the bar.
It's still unclear if the incident is terrorism-related.
The suspect was dead when police entered the bar, police said. Authorities are still working to determine who the suspect is and what his motive may have been.
Police say the sheriff's deputy who was killed has been identified as Ron Helus, a 29-year veteran of the force.
Here's what one person who was there told reporters, "He just kept firing. I ran out the front door, I hear chairs being thrown out the window. People were trying to get out the window, and the gunman, he went behind the cash register. He kept shooting. There was probably 12 shots before I got out the front door."
Authorities have set up a hotline for people to call and check on family members.
#OaksInc Family hotline number for the active shooter in Thousand Oaks is 1(805)465-6650. @VCFD @VCSOVentura @CityofTO
— VCFD PIO (@VCFD_PIO) November 8, 2018
Pepperdine University officials released a statement saying they received reports that several students were at the Borderline Bar and Grill Wednesday night. They've contacted law enforcement and they're also working to identify and provide support to those students.
This is a breaking news story. We will provide updates as they become available.
