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Twelve people have been reported killed in a mass shooting that occured at a country music bar and dance hall in southern California late Wednesday.
The incident was reported at the Borderline Bar and Grill in the town of Thousand Oaks, a quiet, upscale residential suburb of Los Angeles, as it hosted an event for college students.
“Firefighters and first responders are arriving on scene of a report of a shooting at an establishment in @CityofTO. PD is working to secure scene. Multiple injuries reported,” the Ventura County Fire Department had tweeted.
The Los Angeles Times quoted a law enforcement official as saying at least 30 shots had been fired and that there were casualties.
The latest is that the gunman, a police officer and 10 others present at the bar have been reported dead while over a dozen people are injured.
Eyewitnesses tried to describe the gunman saying he was “dressed in all-black, wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses and a mask covering the bottom part of his face”. He reprtedly walked up to the entrance at 11.20pm and shot the doorman before making his way into the venue.
He then opened fire on a young female cashier before throwing smoke grenades onto the dancefloor and letting off rounds into the crowd.
First responders from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and Highway Patrol arrived at 11.23pm and got into a gunfight with the suspect, during which a deputy sheriff was shot and later died at Los Robles Hospital from his injuries, DailyMail reports.
The gunman was said to have killed himself during the gun battle. He reportedly turned the gun on himself.
Photos: Daily Mail