Authorities in Thousand Oaks, Calif., responded Wednesday to reports of a mass shooting just before midnight at a nightclub hosting a college night.
Authorities said at least 11 people were shot, including one deputy at the Borderline Bar & Grill. Police told the Los Angeles Times that at least 30 shots were fired and the gunman used smoke bombs. It was unclear what type of weapon the shooter used.
Thousand Oaks is about 40 miles up the coast from Los Angeles.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the suspect was caught. Authorities said they believed the shooter was contained inside the bar and that there was no threat to the public outside the building.
#OaksInc: Ongoing active shooter incident reported at Borderline in @CityofTO . Please stay away from area. Active law enforcement incident. Multiple injuries reported. Details still being determined. Multiple ambulances requested. @VCFD pic.twitter.com/4X3b8KMisc
— VCFD PIO (@VCFD_PIO) November 8, 2018
Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Garo Kuredjian said it was still “a very active scene.”
The officer was rushed to a nearby hospital, but Kuredjian couldn’t immediately provide information on the extent of the victims’ injuries.
“There were shots fired at the Borderline Bar and Grill” at 11:20 p.m., said Kuredjian, a spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. “As deputies responded, they also heard shots.” Additional units from the California Highway Patrol, Simi Valley and the F.B.I. responded, he said.
About a dozen heavily armed officers were seen lining up against a wall, appearing to prepare to storm the building. Medical workers were seen loading at least one victim onto a gurney, preparing him for transport.
Aerial footage showed armed officers entering the nightclub and numerous police vehicles outside.
Police vehicles and fire engines were seen blocking off traffic in the surrounding area.
Other officers appeared to be scattered in the vicinity.
Witnesses inside the club told local news outlets that patrons used chairs to break windows and hid in the club’s attic.
“I knew it was live, knew it was real,” a 56-year-old witness told KABC-TV. “He [the gunman] didn’t say anything at all. He just started shooting.”
The bar’s website says its hosts “College Country Night” every Wednesday. Witnesses said many of those inside were college students from Pepperdine University, California State University Channel Islands, and California Lutheran University.
