3 People Dead, 6 Wounded After a Retired Police Officer Opens Fire at a Southern California Bar

TRABUCO CANYON, Calif. (AP) — A retired police officer opened fire at a bar in southern California, killing three people and wounding six others.

The gunman, not content with his shootings inside the bar, then went outside and kept firing, witnesses said. Within minutes, deputies arrived and killed the shooter, a retired police officer, Orange County Sheriff’s Sgt. Frank Gonzalez said.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office identified the gunman as John Snowling, 59, a former Ventura police officer. His wife, who had filed for divorce, was injured in the shooting.

Phone and email messages seeking comment were left for John Snowling’s attorney, Tristan Tegroen. Marie Snowling’s attorney, Kenneth Henjum, said early Thursday it was too soon to comment.

John Snowling had worked for the police department in Ventura, a coastal city north of Los Angeles, from 1986 to 2014. The Ventura County Star newspaper first reported that he was an officer there.

“Our hearts weigh heavy with the distressing incident at Cook’s Corner,” Ventura Police Chief Darin Schindler said in a statement. “Our deepest condolences are with the families of the victims, the survivors, and the Orange County deputies who swiftly responded to the scene. This incident deeply affects us all.”

Mark Johnson said that once the gunman went outside, he and others shut the doors. About 30 people hunkered down inside. He said he called 911 while watching the shooter go around the outside of the building.

“We opened the back gate to see where he was and he immediately started shooting,” he said.

“I have never been so happy to see dozens of police cars heading my way,” Mark’s wife Debbie Johnson said. “We were fish in a very small barrel.”