ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — A retired Ventura Police Department sergeant who fatally shot three people and injured six others at a Trabuco Canyon bar/restaurant entered the eatery and moved directly toward his estranged wife, shooting her once, then began randomly firing into the crowd, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said Thursday.
The Orange County Sheriff's Department identified the gunman Thursday morning as 59-year-old John Snowling. According to the Ventura Police Department, Snowling retired from that agency as a sergeant in February 2014, ending a career that began in July 1986.
At a Thursday afternoon news conference, Barnes said Snowling -- who apparently has residences in Camarillo, Orange County and Ohio -- traveled from Ohio to Southern California then made his way Wednesday night to Cook's Corner, a historic "biker bar" in the 19100 block of Santiago Canyon Road, where he knew his estranged wife would be. The couple were in the midst of a divorce.
It was unclear how long Snowling had been in the area or if he had been tracing his estranged wife's movements. But Barnes said it was clear that Snowling knew she was at Cook's Corner Wednesday night. He said that according to witnesses, Snowling walked directly up to her around 7 p.m. and without any conversation or argument, shot her one time.
Barnes declined to discuss the nature of her injuries, but the woman's father told reporters she was shot in the jaw. She survived the shooting. Barnes said the woman was reported Thursday afternoon to be conscious and talking to her adult son, one of two adult children she shared with the gunman.
According to Barnes, Snowling also shot a woman who was dining with his wife, and she ultimately died outside the bar. Snowling also fatally shot a 67-year-old Irvine man. Another man who tried to engage with the gunman and halt the shooting was fatally shot outside the bar, Barnes said.
Barnes said Snowling went to the bar with four weapons -- three handguns and a shotgun. He initially armed himself with two of the handguns, and at some point retreated to his silver pickup in the bar parking lot and retrieved another handgun and the shotgun.
When sheriff's deputies arrived, Snowling opened fire at them, prompting seven deputies to return fire, killing the suspect at the scene, Barnes said.
According to Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, the seven deputies fired at least 75 rounds at the suspect. Spitzer said his office will review the propriety of the law-enforcement shooting, but he hasn't found any evidence to believe "in any way whatsoever that their acts were nothing less than heroic and that nothing they did last night indicates any criminal activity or excessive use of force in any way whatsoever."
Authorities and witnesses said the gunfire rang out around 7 p.m. Wednesday inside the bar/restaurant while a band known as M Street was performing for the crowd during the establishment's popular weekly $8 spaghetti dinner night.
When the melee ended, four people were pronounced dead at the scene, including Snowling. Six other people were taken to Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, where hospital officials said Wednesday night that two patients were in critical condition and four others were considered "stable."
Snowling's wife, identified in court papers as Marie Snowling, was shot in the jaw and was initially listed in critical condition at Providence Mission, but she was transferred overnight to UCI Medical Center in Orange, according to hospital officials and relatives.
According to Providence Mission Hospital, a critically injured man who was shot in the chest remained hospitalized Thursday morning and was still in critical condition, but stable.
The other four patients taken to Providence Mission were all men. One of them was released Wednesday night, two others were expected to go home Thursday and the fourth, who was shot in an arm, was scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday, according to the hospital.
The Ventura Police Department issued a statement Thursday saying the agency was cooperating with Orange County authorities in the investigation.
"Our hearts weigh heavy with the distressing incident at Cook's Corner," VPD Chief Darin Schindler said. "Our deepest condolences are with the families of the victims, the survivors, add the Orange County deputies who swiftly responded to the scene. This incident deeply affects us all."
Various witness reports indicated that one of the people injured in the shooting was a cook at the restaurant, and an unknown number of people barricaded themselves inside the kitchen to avoid the gunman. According to multiple reports, a woman who encountered the gunman outside the bar bagged the man not to shoot her, telling him she was pregnant. The woman said the shooter spared her life, telling her, "Get out of here."
Shortly after the shooting, a woman who had been inside the bar posted a series of photos showing blood smeared on the floor of the business. She wrote that the gunman fired four or six shots toward her, but she was not hit.
Cook's Corner is a well known bar and biker hangout. The building is believed to date back to the late 1800s, although it did not begin operating as a restaurant until the 1920s. The restaurant bills itself as "one of the most famous biker bars in Southern California."
Barnes and Spitzer insisted that while Cook's Corner is historically known as a biker bar, it is actually a welcoming restaurant for families, particularly on the spaghetti nights.
"It's a gathering place," Barnes said. "It's a place for families to go to share a meal. It's a tight-knit community."
Spitzer added, "This is personal. I am one of those bikers. I am one of those people that would often go on Wednesday nights for spaghetti night. ... It is iconic, it is special. And nothing that happened last night is going to ruin either the canyon, its austerity, its prominence or Cook's Corner."
Orange County Supervisor also hailed Cook's Corner as a "family spot."
"It draws bikers and so many other from around the county," he said. "It is a wholesome place. I've been out there when they've done charity events, when the put on music shows for our veterans... It will be forever sad. There's no other word for it, that such a happy place will now go forward under the shadow of what happened last night."
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement Thursday lamenting the shooting, while also urging the public to take advantage of "red-flag" laws that can lead to seizure of weapons from people who might be considered a threat to themselves or others.
"California mourns for the victims of last night's horrific shooting at Cook's Corner," Newsom said. "As we continue to learn more details about this act of violence, there are early reports that this horror was related to a domestic dispute. This type of trauma is unfortunately not isolated. Two-thirds of mass shooters in America have a history of domestic violence.
"Victims and survivors in California should know they are never alone -- we have tools and resources to support and protect you. Our state's red flag laws allow victims, family members, coworkers, and others to work with local law enforcement and the courts to safely remove guns from those who may be a potential threat. We must continue to strengthen, defend, and use these laws. If you see red flags, say something -- and in doing so, save lives."
Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, issued a statement Wednesday night saying he was "heartbroken" by the shooting in his area.
"Our district is one of the safest areas in the country and yet we too are repeatedly afflicted with the scourge of mass shootings," Min said. "An office park in Orange, a church in Laguna Woods, a bar in Trabuco Canyon.
"There is no place in America that is safe from the scourge of gun violence. There is no community not affected. My heart breaks for the families and loved ones of the victims. We cannot rest until we end gun violence in this country."
Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, posted on social media, "This is heartbreaking news for our Orange County community. I'm thinking of the victims and their loved ones as we await more information from law enforcement."
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said it was "disturbing to now learn that the suspect killed his wife or ex-wife during an argument. Another domestic dispute led to another mass shooting. We must do more to prevent senseless acts of gun violence and protect survivors."
Responding to a question Wednesday night about similar events in Trabuco Canyon, Hallock replied, "These types of shootings are not commonplace in Orange County."