The victims of the shooting at Thousand Oaks were full of hope and heroism

Telemachus Orfanos, 27, survived the shooting that took place in Las Vegas last year. An armed man killed 58 at Road 91 Harvest last year. He had also been Navy SEAL, said his father, Marc.

"He was a survivor of Las Vegas and how ironic, okay," said Marc Orfanos. "And [he] was a bit of a gun enthusiast. … you know who I'm responsible for that – gun culture, OK. "

Justin Meek, 23, a graduate of California Lutheran University, was also killed. The university said it "heroically saves lives during the incident".

Cal's Lutheran students said that witnesses had told them that Meek had jumped in front of his sister and others to protect them.

"All he did was really brave," said Meek's friend, Lala Lyman, who was not at the bar. "It was heroic, we lost somebody really great."

"Cal Lutheran wraps his arms around the Meek family and other families, as well as every member of this caring community," the university said on its website.

Meek graduated from Cal Lutheran in May – as did his mother and friends at NBC News.

Meek enjoyed the country-themed Borderline because he loved dancing online, his friends said – he had even founded Cal Lutheran's online dance club. He had promoted Wednesday's "College Country Night" event on his Instagram page.

Sean Adler, 48, married with two children, worked at Borderline to earn extra cash, said sister Valarie Adler at NBC Los Angeles.

"After what I understood, Sean tried to disarm" the shooter, Adler said. "That's typical of Sean – he was a protector who always stood up for people.He was a caring and compassionate individual.I just do not understand, I do not understand the world."

The Sgt was also shot while trying to save lives. Ron Helus, a 29-year veteran of the Sheriff County Department of Ventura.

Helus, 54, was married and father of a son. He called his wife just before entering the bar, where he was killed during a shootout with the shooter.

"I have to go, I love you, I'll call you later," said his boss, Sheriff Geoff Dean.

Sheriff's Sergeant Eric Buschow said that Helus "was determined to go out there to end this threat and save lives."

"Unfortunately, he was immediately hit by a shootout," Buschow said. "It's a tragic loss for all of us, for the community."

Alaina Housley, 18, a student at Pepperdine University and niece of actress Tamera Mowry-Housley, is another victim. The university said she was from Napa, California, and that she was a freshman in English.

Mowry-Housley and her husband, former Fox News correspondent Adam Housley, spent the night trying to find out what happened to Alaina. Adam Housley, who went to pick her up at the Los Robles Medical Center at 3:30 am, told the Los Angeles Times that he feared the worst because her Apple Watch and iPhone indicated that she was always found at the bar.

Housley then issued a statement on behalf of Alaina's parents, who said, in part: "Words can not describe our grief at losing our daughter, Alaina, she was everything we could hope for in a child: kind, intelligent, handsome and respectful."

Madeleine Carr, a young journalism student who interviewed Housley, said she quickly became a prominent member of the university community.

"She's been here only since the month of August and she's already been involved in mock trials and in all the different facets of the community," Carr said. "Usually we see people getting involved in one – not all – and she seemed to have found her way in the hearts of many people."

Law enforcement officials identified the gunman as Ian David Long, a former Marine.