LA Archbishop Offers Prayers for Victims Following California Bar Shooting

At least 12 people, including a sheriff's deputy, were killed in the Wednesday night attack at Borderline Bar Grill.

The American flag over the White House flies at half staff Nov. 8 following the shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, late Wednesday evening. A gunman fatally shot 12 people at a country-and-western dance hall.
The American flag over the White House flies at half staff Nov. 8 following the shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, late Wednesday evening. A gunman fatally shot 12 people at a country-and-western dance hall. (photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES — Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles has offered prayers for the victims and all who were affected by a Wednesday evening shooting at a country-music club in Thousand Oaks, California.

At least 12 people, including a sheriff's deputy, were killed in the attack at Borderline Bar & Grill. The venue was hosting a country-themed night for nearby college students. The shooting occurred shortly before 11:30pm.

More than 20 people were taken to area hospitals for treatment following the attack.

The shooter, identified by authorities as 28-year-old Ian David Long, also died of a gunshot during the attack; police believe he took his own life.

In a statement released by the archdiocese, Archbishop Gomez said he awoke to news of “horrible violence last night at the Borderline Grill in Thousand Oaks.”

He urged prayers for the families of the victims and for those who were killed or hurt in the shooting. He singled out Sgt. Ron Helus of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office as an “heroic officer” who was killed defending others during the attack.

Helus, who was due to retire next year, was the first victim to be publicly identified. After responding to the attack, he sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died at a nearby hospital.

“May God grant perpetual light to those who have died, and may he bring comfort to their loved ones and peace to our community,” said Archbishop Gomez.

A motive for the attack was not immediately available. The suspect has been identified as a Marine veteran who had numerous past run-ins with police. According to a New York Times report, Long was the subject of a disturbance complaint at his home in April, following which he spoke to mental-health specialists, who concluded that he was not an immediate danger to himself or others.

The shooting follows a brutal anti-Semitic attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue, Oct. 27, in which 11 people were killed during a service. It also follows similar mass-casualty attacks, including the Las Vegas shooting one year ago, in which 58 people lost their lives.