Our live coverage has ended for the evening, but stay with CNN to read more about the Thousand Oaks shooting. Here’s everything you need to know:
The gunman who killed 12 people at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, was a 28-year-old veteran of the US Marine Corps, officials said.
Here’s what we know about shooter Ian David Long so far:
United Methodist Church Westlake Village identified Noel Sparks as one of the victims of last night’s shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks.
The church released a statement on Facebook after speaking to Noel’s father:
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has deployed victim services personnel — Spanish-speaking representative and K-9 handlers — to assist survivors and families of shooting victims.
Two yellow Labrador Retrievers — Skippy and Nora — and their handlers will visit survivors at hospitals, sit with families waiting for news, and spend time with first responders, according to the district attorney’s office.
Victim Services representative Jenneifer Bobadilla will provide families with Spanish-language translation.
This victim services team also assisted in the aftermath of the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting.
In a news conference Thursday afternoon, law enforcement officials said the investigation was ongoing and that there were no indications the shooter was acting with others.
The FBI is continuing to process the crime scene, and there are no indications the shooter was working any associates, said FBI Assistant Director Paul Delacourt. There are no other threats to the area.
“It would be premature to speculate on the motivation,” Delacourt said, adding that the FBI is still working to “paint a picture of the frame of mind of the subject.”
Authorities also identified the victims, and notified their families. A list of names will not be released until later today, said Ventura County Sheriff’s Captain Garo Kuredjian.
Watch it here:
California governor-elect Gavin Newsom responded to last night’s mass shooting at an event in San Francisco Thursday afternoon.
Newsom also praised Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus, who was killed in the attack, as a hero for his “act of courage, and act of bravery.”
He released a full statement earlier Thursday, expressing his condolences to those affected and calling for decisive action “at every level of government.”
There are currently over 200 people in line at La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks, waiting to donate blood to victims of last night’s mass shooting, according to school officials.
Thousand Oaks Mayor Andy Fox had pleaded earlier Thursday for blood donors to step forward.
The school had previously scheduled a blood drive on campus - but pivoted to gathering donations specific to this incident.
Donors are encouraged to make appointments at 877-25-VITAL.
Residents of Thousand Oaks, California, paid their respects to Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus, who was fatally shot at the Borderline Bar and Grill.
Video captured by Jim Meser shows people standing at the intersection of Camino Dos Rios and Gainsborough Rd, some holding American flags, as Sgt. Helus’ procession drove by.
Meser wrote on Instagram: “I don’t know how or why First Responders can do what they do. But I thank God every day that they do it.”
Wednesday night’s shooting marked the fourth “soft target” attack in two weeks, raising questions about how to make these public spaces safer.
“Soft targets” represent simple, daily life. People come and go. They expect to be safe as they pick up a cup of coffee, deposit their paychecks, fill prescriptions or grab a bite to eat. Their guards are down.
America has faced the threat so many times – at a theater in Aurora, California, at a concert in Las Vegas, at the Boston Marathon. Every school shooting is an attack on a soft target.
The death toll in the four recent incidents has been stunning, with 27 people slain:
One of the victims killed in the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting in Thousand Oaks, California has been identified as Alaina Housley by family members.
“The Real” co-host Tamera Mowry-Housley and her husband Adam Housley told CNN they are heartbroken about their niece’s death.
“Our hearts are broken,” the couple said in their statement released to CNN. “We just learned that our niece Alaina was one of the victims of last night’s shooting at Borderline bar in Thousand Oaks. Alaina was an incredible young woman with so much life ahead of her and we are devastated that her life was cut short in this manner. We thank everyone for your prayers and ask for privacy at this time.”
The former “Sister Sister” star is married to journalist Adam Housley, who earlier had asked followers to pray for “My niece. A beautiful soul.”
Alaina Housley’s family described her as a “incredible young woman with so much life ahead of her.”
Read the full family statement:
A woman who survived the mass shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill described to CNN how she survived by climbing a ladder into the attic and waiting an hour for police to arrive.
Identified by just her first name, Lindsey said she was nearly on the dance floor when the shooter walked in. She heard the gunshots and immediately ran into the kitchen, where bar staff yelled at her to go up a ladder and into the attic.
“I definitely owe them my life, they had the smartest idea,” she said, adding that she stayed there with her boyfriend until they were told to come out an hour later by responding police.
Listen:
This post was updated.
Thousand Oaks Mayor Andy Fox has pleaded for blood donors to step forward in the wake of last night’s mass shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill.
Officials are organizing a blood drive at a facility in the area due to the amount of donations needed.
Justin Meek, 23, was among the people killed in the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, according to California Lutheran University President Chris Kimball.
In a statement, Kimball said Meek was a recent graduate and “heroically saved lives in the incident.”
Jason Coffman just confirmed that his 22-year-old son died during the shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill last night. Cody Coffman was pronounced dead on the scene, his father said.
“Oh Cody, I love you son,” an emotional Jason Coffman told reporters.
Jason Coffman said he talked to his son last night.
Cody has three younger brothers — all under the age of 10 — and a sister due on Nov. 29. “He was so excited to have his first sister,” Jason Coffman said.
The 22-year-old was planning to join the military, and was speaking with recruiters from the US Army.
“This is a heart I will never get back,” Jason Coffman said.
Watch the moment:
This post has been updated.
Eleven victims from the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, were released from area hospitals Thursday.
Here’s what we know about the victims:
Shooter Ian David Long’s mother “lived in fear” of what her son might do, saying when police were called to the house earlier this year “it took them about a half a day to get him out of the house,” a neighbor told CNN.
Neighbor Richard Berge said Long’s mother told him she was concerned about her son, though not worried about her own safety, and that “she was… kind of beside herself, she didn’t know what to do because he wouldn’t get help.”
Berge continued: “When I saw the house this morning, I knew what it was,” referring to the police activity.
Earlier today, police said they responded to Long’s house this April. Here’s how Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean described it:
California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in the wake of last night’s deadly shooting at Borderline & Grill in Thousand Oaks.
In his statement, Newsom, who won the California governor’s race Tuesday, said more must to be done to “address the root causes of these devastating acts at every level of government.”
Here is his statement:
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein called for “stronger federal gun regulations” after last night’s deadly shooting in Thousand Oaks.
She also cited recent mass shootings in her argument for stricter gun laws
“Today we add Thousand Oaks to the ever-growing list of communities that have suffered mass shootings,” she said in a statement. “These mass murders are depressingly pervasive. Schools. Theaters. Malls. Offices. Synagogues. Grocery stores. Bars. Concerts. Churches. They’re inspired by racism, revenge, terrorism or just pure hatred. The one common attribute: easy access to guns.”
Read her statement here:
Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus spent the evening backing up fellow deputies on calls before he was fatally shot.
Six unarmed, off-duty law enforcement officers who were at the Borderline Bar & Grill stepped in to help, Novak said.
A woman whose daughter was at the bar during last night’s shooting there told officials one of the officers “stood in front of her daughter — protecting her life with his own,” Novak said.
California bar shooter Ian David Long posted information about his military service on a special forces forum called Shadowspear in March 2017.
In his post, Long said he had served in Afghanistan, was an infantry machine gunner in the US Marine Corps for four and a half years, and was an instructor in Okinawa.
Here’s part of what he wrote:
CNN also spoke to a friend who served with Long, who confirmed the suspected gunman had served in Afghanistan and moved to southern California to pursue a degree in sports medicine.
