An eyewitness to Wednesday night’s mass shooting at a bar in Thousand Oaks, California, gave a gut-wrenching account of how a gunman opened fire, killing at least 12 people.
The man, who gave his name only as Tim, choked back the tears as he relived the moment the gunman burst into the Borderline Bar & Grill at around 11:20 p.m. and began “popping” people.
The gunman shot at a doorman, a cashier and later at people on the dance floor, said Tim, 56, who said he was near the entrance getting ready to leave with his stepson, John, when shooting started.
Watch the interview here:
“My son thought it was a joke, so I pulled him down and got behind cover,” Tim told ABC 7 Eyewitness News.
He lamented how he couldn’t do more to help the students from local universities attending the “College Country Night” who were “just having a great time” when “this maniac came in and started shooting” for “no reason at all.”
“These people have never hurt people in their lives, and they are just kids,” he added. “They are just kids. I’m so sorry.”
Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus was among those killed at the nightspot. The suspected gunman was found dead at the scene.