Former U.S. Marine Ian David Long has been named as the suspect who shot and killed 12 people in a Southern California bar before turning the gun on himself on Nov. 7.
Defense Department records show he was on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps from August 2008 to March 2013.
Sheriff Geoff Dean said that in the April incident, officers were called to his home due to a disturbance. Meanwhile, Long was the victim of a 2015 bar fight in Thousand Oaks. It was a different bar, the paper reported.
Officials told reporters that Long’s body was found inside the Thousand Oaks bar. They also recovered a Glock .45-caliber handgun at the scene.
“Obviously, he had something going on in his head that would cause him to do something like this. So he obviously had some sort of issues,” the sheriff added.
Dean said the shooter’s motive is not clear and is unsure if there’s a connection between the bar and Long.
When he entered the bar, witnesses said he was clad in black and was wearing glasses. He began suddenly firing.
“I started hearing these big pops. Pop, pop, pop. There was probably three or four, I hit the ground,” John Hedge was quoted by CNN as saying.
“I heard a gunshot, I turned around and I saw him shoot a couple more times,” California Lutheran University student Teylor Whittler was quoted by KABC as saying. “Within a split second, everybody yelled ‘get down.’”
A sheriff’s sergeant, Ron Helus, was shot and killed in the incident. Local officials described him as a hero who tried to stop the massacre.
“I have been fully briefed on the terrible shooting in California. Law Enforcement and First Responders, together with the FBI, are on scene. 13 people, at this time, have been reported dead. Likewise, the shooter is dead, along with the first police officer to enter the bar,” he wrote.
“Great bravery shown by police. California Highway Patrol was on scene within 3 minutes, with first officer to enter shot numerous times. That Sheriff’s Sergeant died in the hospital. God bless all of the victims and families of the victims. Thank you to Law Enforcement,” the president added.