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Sgt of Ventura County Sheriff Ron Helus was among those killed Wednesday night at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, officials said.
Helus had been working in the department for almost three decades and was planning to retire a year from now, said Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean, choked by tears.
"Ron … gave it all and tonight he died as a hero because he went to save lives," Dean said.
The suspect, who has not been identified, was found dead in the bar, Dean said. He said that we do not know if there is a link with terrorism.
"He was shooting everything"
Witnesses described a man dressed in black and wearing glasses while he was walking on a dance floor filled with people.
"I started hearing these big hits – pop, pop, pop, there were probably three or four, I hit the ground," said John Hedge, at the bar with his father-in-law. , at CNN's subsidiary, KABC.
"I look up – the security guard is dead Well, I do not mean that he was dead, but he was shot."
Holden Harrah told CNN that the gunman opened fire in seconds.
"This guy just came out of nowhere and came out with a gun and shot people in Thousand Oaks, California," said Harrah. "And that is what really drives me in the mind, it's a really safe place."
The shooting started during the online dance, witnesses said. People dropped to the floor and hid behind bar stools in stunned silence. Others jumped over chairs and broke the windows to go out.
When MPs arrived at the scene three minutes after the first call to 911, shots were fired again, the authorities said.
It was the university night at the bar
The bar is close to several colleges and is a popular spot for students on Wednesday nights. The Western-style bar hosts theme nights such as country music, salsa and swing dancing.
Wednesday evening, the students gathered for the university evening at the school between 9pm and 9pm. and 2 in the morning, according to the bar's website.
"I heard a shot, I turned around and saw him shoot two more times," a student, Teylor Whittler, told KABC.
"In a split second, everyone shouted" get off, "she said.
People "stacked on top of each other" are trying to hide in silence, she said. Some men ran towards them and said that the shooter was coming. As they escaped through the back door of the bar, she heard a second round of gunshots.
She did not shout, just gunshots and deafening crowds.
Nick Steinwender, who is part of the university student government, said his friends were in the bar when the shooting started.
"It was chaos, people jumping out the windows, jumping over the doors and just trying to get out," he told the branch. "After what I heard, the shooter started shooting at the front desk.The students were hiding in attics, bathrooms and other things of the same kind."
The Pepperdine University said some of his students were at the bar and that his job was to identify them.
"The University offers its deepest condolences and pray for all those involved in the tragic events of this evening," he tweeted.
The mayor says that the city is among the last
Thousand Oaks is in Ventura County, about 40 miles from downtown Los Angeles. The city "is considered one of the safest cities in the country," according to Mayor Andy Fox.
"We are consistently ranked among the highest in terms of the lowest per capita crime rate, and we are proud of that," Fox said.
"The reality is that these types of incidents can occur anywhere, anytime, even in communities considered extremely safe."
Nicole Chavez, Natalie Gallón and Gianluca Mezzofiore contributed to this report
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