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A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 9 November 2018

$ 10

Marine combat veteran kills 12 in rampage at California bar

By KRYSTA FAURIA and "Unfortunately our young 22, who was about to join
JONATHAN J. COOPER people, people at night- the Army, was dead. Coff-
Associated Press clubs, have learned that man broke down as he
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. this may happen, and they told reporters how his last
(AP) — Terrified patrons think about that," Ventura words to his son as he went
hurled barstools through County Sheriff Geoff Dean out that night were not to
windows to escape or said. "Fortunately it helped drink and drive and that he
threw their bodies protec- save a lot of lives that they loved him.
tively on top of friends as fled the scene so rapidly." "Oh, Cody, I love you, son,"
a Marine combat veteran Matt Wennerstrom said Coffman sobbed.
killed 12 people at a coun- he pulled people behind It was the nation's deadliest
try music bar in an attack a pool table, and he and such attack since 17 stu-
that added Thousand Oaks friends shielded women dents and teachers were
to the tragic roster of Amer- with their bodies after killed at a Parkland, Florida,
ican cities traumatized by hearing the shots. When high school nine months
mass shootings. An honor guard salutes the body of Ventura County Sheriff's De- the gunman paused to re- ago. It also came less than
partment Sgt. Ron Helus before it departs the Los Robles Regional
Dressed all in black with his Medical Center Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, Calif. load, Wennerstrom said, he two weeks after a gunman
hood pulled up, the gun- Associated Press used a barstool to shatter a massacred 11 people at a
man apparently took his window and then helped synagogue in Pittsburgh.
own life as police massed 28, was a former machine told might be post-trau- about 30 people escape. Democratic Gov.-elect
at the Borderline Bar & Grill gunner and Afghanistan matic stress disorder. He heard another volley of Gavin Newsom, in his first
in Southern California. war veteran who was in- Opening fire with a hand- shots after they got out. public appearance since
The motive for the attack terviewed by police at his gun with an illegal, extra- "All I wanted to do was winning office on Tuesday,
late Wednesday night was home last spring after an large magazine, Long shot get as many people out of lamented the violence that
under investigation. episode of agitated be- a security guard outside there as possible," he told has come again to Califor-
The killer , Ian David Long, havior that authorities were and then went in and took KABC-TV. "I know where I'm nia.
aim at employees and pa- going if I die, so I was not "It's a gun culture," he said.
trons, authorities said. He worried." "You can't go to a bar or
also used a smoke bomb, The dead included a vet- nightclub? You can't go to
according to a law en- eran sheriff's deputy who church or synagogue? It's
forcement official who was rushed in to confront the insane is the only way to
not authorized to discuss gunman, as well as 22-year- describe it. The normaliza-
the investigation publicly old man who planned to tion, that's the only way I
and spoke on condition of join the Army, a freshman can describe it. It's become
anonymity. at nearby Pepperdine Uni- normalized."
Survivors of the rampage — versity and a recent Cal Lu- President Donald Trump
mostly young people who theran graduate. praised police for their
had gone out for college "It's a horrific scene in there," "great bravery" in the at-
night at the Borderline, a Dean said in the parking lot. tack and ordered flags
hangout popular with stu- "There's blood everywhere." flown at half-staff in honor
dents from nearby Califor- The tragedy left a commu- of the victims.
nia Lutheran University — nity that is annually listed as Authorities converged on
seemed to know what to one of the safest cities in Long's home in Newbury
do, having come of age America reeling. Scores of Park, about 5 miles from the
in an era of active-shooter people showed up to do- Borderline bar, in a search
drills and deadly rampages nate blood for the wound- for clues to what set him off.
happening with terrifying ed. All morning, people "There's no indication that
frequency. looking for missing friends he targeted the employ-
Several of the survivors said and relatives arrived at a ees. We haven't found any
they were also at the out- community center where correlation," the sheriff said.
door country music festival authorities and counselors "Maybe there was a motive
in Las Vegas last year when were informing the next-of- for this particular night, but
a gunman in a high-rise ho- kin of those who died. Many we have no information
tel killed 58 people. walked past TV cameras leading to that at all."
Many of the hundreds of with blank stares or tears Long was in the Marines
patrons dived under ta- in their eyes. In the park- from 2008 to 2013, rose to
bles, ran for the exits, broke ing lot, people comforted the rank of corporal and
through windows or hid in each other with hugs or a served in Afghanistan in
the attic and bathrooms, pat on the back. 2010-11 before he was hon-
authorities and witnesses Jason Coffman received orably discharged, the mili-
said. the news that his son Cody, tary said.q