A shooting that took place at a California bar on Wednesday night has left at least three people dead and several others injured, CBS News reports.
The shooting took place at around 7 p.m. at Cook's Corner, a historic biker bar located at the 19000 block of Santiago Canyon Road.
The suspect has been identified. He was killed by police during the shooting.
The Orange County Sheriff's Department, which responded to the incident, has been releasing details about the shooting via social media.
According to the sheriff's department, the shooting was the result of a domestic dispute between the gunman and his soon-to-be ex-wife. The shooter is reported to have walked into the bar with two firearms, to have non-fatally shot his wife and the person whom she was eating with, and then to have randomly started shooting at other people in the bar.
The sheriff's department arrived on the scene just after 7:00 p.m. - which was within minutes of the start of the shooting. Officers then quickly engaged the gunman and killed him, but not before much damage had been done.
The first social media update on the situation, from the sheriff's department, came at 11:17 p.m. on Wednesday. The sheriff's department wrote, "Incident at Cook's corner in Trabuco Canyon. Believed to be multiple victims from gunshot. More info to follow."
Right after midnight, the sheriff's department provided the second update, which revealed the extent of the devastation.
#OCSDPIO Update- Incident scene at Cooks Corner is static. We are in unified command with @OCFA. Confirmed 4 deceased at scene, inc. the shooter. 6 transported to hospitals, 5 reported w/gunshot wounds. Officer-involved shooting occurred during the incident. No deputies injured.
— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSheriff) August 24, 2023
Within hours of the shooting, the sheriff's department revealed the identity of the shooter: 59-year-old John Snowling.
#OCSDPIO The suspect of the Trabuco Canyon shooting is confirmed as John Snowling, 59. Despite misinformation, his wife was injured in the shooting and is not deceased. We will provide additional information at the press briefing this afternoon.
— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSheriff) August 24, 2023
Since this post, more information has been learned about Snowling.
The Washington Examiner reports, "[Snowling] was a sergeant with the Ventura Police Department, as confirmed by police, who said Snowling started at the department in 1986 and worked there until his retirement in 2014."
An investigation of the shooting remains ongoing. Outlets are reporting that Snowling's wife - Marie Snowling - filed for divorce in December 2022 and that the first court hearing was scheduled for later this year.
