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The shooter who killed 12 people in a bar in Southern California was posting on
and Instagram immediately before and during the massacre, according to a law enforcement official.
Investigators are trying to figure out why 28-year-old Ian David Long opened fire on Wednesday night at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, at the weekly student country dance party.
A Facebook article posted on his account at the time of the attack said: "I hope people treat me crazy … (laughing at emojis) … would not that be just a big ball of irony? Yeah … I'm crazy, but the only thing you do after these shootings, it's "hopes and prayers" … or "you keep in my thoughts" … every time .. and you wonder why this continues to happen …, "confirmed a spokeswoman for the company.
Long's Facebook and Instagram profiles, owned by the social media giant, were removed after the attack, as Facebook does not allow mass murderers to be present on its platforms, the spokesman said. word.
The nine men and three women killed in the shootings ranged in age from 18 to 54 years and included 27-year-old Navy veteran Telemachus Orfanos, who survived the shooting massacre at a country music festival in Las Vegas. Vegas last year, and Daniel Manrique. , 33, who like Long was a veteran of the Marine Corps.
At least 12 people were killed when an armed gunman opened fire in a crowded bar in Thousand Oaks, California on Wednesday night. Sgt. Ron Helus, who responded on the scene, and Cody Coffman were among the victims. Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press
The youngest was Alaina Housley, an 18 year old teenager who was eager to specialize in English Literature at Pepperdine University in Malibu. "Words can not describe our sorrow for losing our daughter," her parents said.
Long had been to the Borderline Bar & Grill at least several times, said Stacie Armentrout, spokesperson for a group of survivors of last year's massacre at the Las Vegas Country Music Festival. Some of these survivors attended the Borderline, which organized a benefit concert for them, said Armentrout.
Two years ago, he legally bought the .45 caliber Glock handgun that he had used during the attack, according to a law enforcement official.
Those who served with Long recalled on Facebook as "great sailor". Some have posted their phone numbers and implored fellow soldiers to call them if they have mental health problems. The County Sheriff of Ventura said Long may have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
After leaving the military in 2013, Long strived to enroll in the Veterans Affairs system, but left the process before receiving health care benefits, according to a report. a person familiar with the file. Curt Cashour, a spokesman for the agency, said that Mr. Long "was not enrolled at any time in health care for VA" and "did not ask for health care for VA ".
Over the past few days, Long has called several people with whom he had served in the Marine Corps to ask how they were doing.
John Charley, who now lives in New Mexico, said that Long had helped him during a recent breakup. "He was like," Hey dude, are you okay? Do not do anything crazy, "said Mr. Charley.
A few days later, when Mr. Charley saw Long's face on television as a mass murderer, he was incredulous, he said. "It's not Ian. I understand he did bad things, but he's not the guy I admired. "
Long served in a team that ended up working in what an old comrade described as "the most combative area" in the region of their battalion where they lived for two months in "battle holes".
It was not clear why Long had not completed the VA application process. Mr. Cashour stated that Long's information may have been automatically entered into the VA registration system when he applied for GI Bill allowances. In recent years, the agency has worked to promote health care, particularly mental health services.
"Almost no one is denied mental health," said Lou Celli, executive director of the American Legion.
The VA has been criticized for its delays and errors in the registration system. A September 2017 report from the General Accounting Office reported delays in the process in several stages. He found that about half of the applications reviewed were delayed by the target date of five working days for the initial review.
Mr. Cashour, of the VA, said the ministry has since sent letters to all incomplete people, giving them one year to complete the process.
Ben Kesling, Deepa Seetharaman and Jim Oberman contributed to this article.
Write to Zusha Elinson at [email protected], Alexandra Berzon at [email protected] and Erin Ailworth at [email protected]
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