Thirteen people dead, including sheriff’s sergeant, in shooting at California bar

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) – A sheriff says 13 people are dead, including a sheriff’s sergeant and the gunman, after a shooting inside a crowded Southern California bar late Wednesday.

Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean says sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus responded to the scene and was shot after he entered the building. He died at a hospital early Thursday.

Dean says Helus was a 29-year veteran of the force and was set to retire in the next year or two.

Dean says around 10 other people were wounded.

Investigators have determined that the shooter was 29 years old, but they have not released his name.  He used a .45 caliber handgun, and set off a smoke device.

The first reports of shots fired came around 11:20 p.m. at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, which is about 40 miles west of Los Angeles.

The bar’s website says its hosts “College Country Night” every Wednesday. Police said hundreds were inside when the shooting occurred.

Nearby Pepperdine University this morning has confirmed some of its students were among those at the bar.