What we know about the California massacre

About 40 miles west of Los Angeles, an armed gunman opened fire at a country-western dance bar in Thousand Oaks. At least 11 victims were killed on the scene; a deputy died later as a result of his injuries, said Sheriff Geoff Dean of Ventura County. The gunman, later identified by police as Ian David Long, was found dead inside.

The bar organized an event for students at the time.

"There is blood everywhere," Dean said Thursday morning.

It is the deadliest shooting in the United States since 17 students and teachers were killed at a school in Parkland, Florida, in February.

Here is what we know:

What happened?

An armed man dressed in black, identified by the police as Long, 28, started firing on Borderline Bar and Grill around 11:20 pm. Wednesday, the authorities said.

Sheriff Sgt. Ron Helus was among the first to arrive on the scene by entering the bar with an officer of the California Highway Patrol. Helus exchanged shots with the suspect before being shot repeatedly. He died later in a hospital.

After firing bullets for nearly three minutes and killing 11 other victims, the shooter then went to an office at the front of the bar where he was found dead, apparently killing himself, said the police.

More: Police officer, 11 other victims died in Thousand Oaks, California, shooting in a bar

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Who was the shooter?

The authorities identified the gunman as Ian David Long, a 28-year-old Navy veteran. He used a Glock 21 – a .45 caliber handgun mark – with an extensive magazine, the police said. His motive and his death are the subject of an investigation.

California law prohibits the sale of the used high capacity magazine, but its possession would also have been illegal under a state law currently being blocked by a federal court.

More: The extended magazine used in California can not be bought legally there

Long, of Newbury Park, Calif., Was known to law enforcement for minor offenses, including traffic violations.

In April, Dean said his department had been called to Long's home because of a family conflict, where he was "somewhat angry and acting irrationally". A mental health crisis team concluded that Long did not need to be detained at that time.

Neighbor Richard Berge said all members of the group knew when the police arrived at Long House earlier this year after an incident.

"The police were here and they finally (Long) finished getting out of the house," Berge told the United States today as FBI agents came and went in the house Long shared with his mother. , Colleen.

More: What we know about gunman Ian M David from Long Thousand Oaks, a veteran

Navy Corporal, Long served for five years from 2008 to 2013, including a tour of Afghanistan, according to the Marine Corps Archive.

Who were the victims?

The authorities have still not named all the victims of the attack.

Telemachus Orfanos – a survivor of last year's massacre at a country music festival in Las Vegas, where 58 people were killed – was killed Wednesday at the Borderline Bar and Grill.

"My son was in Las Vegas with a lot of his friends and he went home, he did not go home last night," said his mother, Susan Schmidt-Orfanos, to a reporter from local television. "I do not want prayers, I do not want thoughts, I want gun control."

Daniel Manrique, 33, was a Marine Corps Veteran who in 2014 launched the chapter of the Red, White and Blue team in Ventura County to help his veterans pass through from military life to civilian life, explains his friend Sara Bergeron. She suspects that Manrique himself has been battling PTSD, although he has never spoken to her about it.

When she learned that the Borderline shooter was in the Marines and had perhaps suffered from PTSD, she immediately thought, "Wow, I would have liked this person to have met Dan."

Noel Sparks, 21, was a student and a regular at Borderline, where she spent Halloween and turned 21 in August. She often went there with friends and her mother. She specialized in art at the nearby college of Moorpark.

Alaina Housley, 18, was a freshman at Pepperdine, killed in the shooting. His aunt was Tamera Mowry-Housley, host of "The Real" and star of "Sister, Sister".

Jason Coffman has received confirmation that his 22-year-old son Cody, about to join the army, was dead. Coffman broke down by telling reporters that his last words to his son were not to drive while intoxicated and that he loved him.

More: Young people who have "so much life in front of them": these are the victims of Thousand Oaks

"I can not believe it happened in my family," said 41-year-old Coffman. "I am speechless and heartbroken, my life has changed forever."

Justin Meek, 23, a California Lutheran graduate, worked Wednesday night as a security guard at the Borderline Bar and Grill when the shooting began. He died trying to save other people, according to the university and several publications on social networks.

Helus died as a hero

Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus, who first came to the scene, died as a hero, "Dean said. He came in to save lives, to save other people. "

Helus, a 29-year veteran of the department, was looking to retire "in a year or two," Dean said. The sheriff also described Helus as a dedicated and dedicated sergeant.

Helus leaves behind a woman and her son.

Before going to the scene, Helus spoke to his wife, as he does several times during his shift, Dean said.

"Hey, I have to answer a call, I love you, I'll talk to you later," Dean said about the conversation.

More: Sheriff County Sheriff Ron Sherus sheriff among people killed during a shootings in a bar

A popular university bar

The shooting took place in a popular university bar, Borderline Bar and Grill, in Thousand Oaks, known for the safety of its residents.

The bar is the largest country dance hall in Ventura County and a live music venue with a dance floor of more than 2,500 square feet. On Wednesdays evenings, including the night of filming, the bar hosts a university evening in the countryside, according to its website.

"Several" Pepperdine University students attending school in Malibu were at the bar during the shooting, the university announced Thursday morning.

"Right now, the university is working to identify and support these students," she tweeted.