US Marine Veteran, Ian Long, Named as Gunman that Killed 12 People in California

DailyMail/

The gunman who massacred 12 people at a country music bar in southern California on Wednesday night has been identified as an ex-Marine whose neighbors say he was plagued with PTSD and terrified his own mother.

Ian Long, 28, opened fire on the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks at 11.20pm on Wednesday night during its weekly College Country Night where students from nearby schools line dance and listen to music.

He used a Glock .45 which had an extended magazine to kill 11 people inside the bar including 22-year-old Cody Koffman after opening fire on the bouncer and throwing smoke grenades among the crowds to confuse them as they tried to flee.

Long then shot a sheriff’s sergeant who was one of the first on the scene. The 54-year-old sergeant, Ron Helus, died in the hospital afterwards.

Before SWAT teams entered the building, Long took his own life in an office inside. He used a legally purchased .45 caliber handgun to carry out the attack and had modified its magazine so it could hold more rounds.

Long served in the Marines for five years between 2008 and 2013, during which time he was awarded 10 medals and toured Afghanistan.

Survivors from the shooting said he looked ‘like he knew what he was doing’ as he repeatedly fired his gun without saying a word.

In April this year, deputies were called to the home he shared with his mother after neighbors heard loud crashes coming from inside.

He was acting ‘irrationally’ and was ‘irate’ so police called in their mental health specialist but they cleared him, deciding against having him committed.

Neighbors told DailyMail.com on Thursday that his mother Colleen was ‘terrified’ he was going to harm himself or others.

0