Cody Coffman and Sgt. Ron Helus are identified as Thousand Oaks shooting victims at the hands of former vet, Ian David Long. Authorities yet to find motive.
A father has identified his 22-year-old son as among the 12 people killed in the shooting rampage at a southern California bar.
Jason Coffman says his son Cody Coffman had been identified among the victims.
At the time, Cody was working as a bouncer when former marine vet, Ian David Long entered the Borderline Bar and Grill just on 11.20pm, Wednesday night when he unleashed no less than 30 rounds of gunfire into the packed nightclub which was full of surrounding college campus students.
At the time- the venue was holding a weekly country music dance night for college students. Estimates involved up to 200 attendees. After unleashing his venom, the highly decorated veteran who’d served from 2008-13, including 2-3 tours of Afghanistan shot himself dead.
WATCH: Father of 22-year-old Cody Coffman, who was killed in Calif. bar mass shooting:
“I talked to him last night before he headed out the door … The last thing I said was ‘Son, I love you.’ That was the last thing I said.” https://t.co/Ix0iMTHOWq pic.twitter.com/eDab9DkKGn
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 8, 2018
“This is my firstborn child. I’m afraid he was the boy who went towards the gunman and not ran away. That’s the kind of boy that he is,” said Jason Coffman who is searching for his 22-year-old son, Cody. https://t.co/gcaxbEQp5z pic.twitter.com/rIPXKBUzFF
— NBCWashington (@nbcwashington) November 8, 2018
Cody Coffman Thousand Oaks shooting victim father, ‘I told him I love him and that was the last time I saw him.’
Talking to nbcnews, Cody’s father said he’d talked to his son as he was heading out to work, imploring the son not to drink and drive.
Added the grieving father, ‘Last thing I said was, ‘Son, I love you.’ That was the last thing I said.’
His son Cody is one of the 11 that was killed. He had just turned 22 and had plans of fulfilling his dream of joining the military. Jason says Cody was excited to meet his sister due later this month.
“He died a hero. He went in to save lives, to save other people.”
Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean honors sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus who died after the Southern California shooting #Borderline pic.twitter.com/8XhShrgAGe
— TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) November 8, 2018
Sgt. Ron Helus: ‘He ran into fire while others ran away- to save their lives.’
A Ventura County sheriff’s sergeant who responded to the shooting has also been identified as among the dead.
Sgt. Ron Helus was revealed as the slain deputy with reports of the sheriff’s deputy scheduled to be retiring next year, according to authorities. The revered officer had 29 years of experience in the force and leaves behind a wife and son.
The 29-year police veteran leaves behind a wife and son who was looking to retire in the next year.
‘He was hard-working, he was totally committed, he gave his all and, tonight, as I told his wife, he died a hero,’ Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said during a press conference. ‘He gave his life to save other people.’
Helus, 54, spoke to his wife by phone just before he went inside the bar, telling her, ‘I gotta go, I love you, call you later,’ according to Dean.
‘It’s a horrific scene in there,’ Dean said. ‘There’s blood everywhere.’
The sheriff said the gunman first shot a security guard standing outside, then ‘stepped inside, turned to the right, shot several other security and employees and began opening fire inside the nightclub.’
He added, ‘We have no idea what the motive is at this point.’
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Thousand Oaks shooting: Country music bar gunman killed with 12 others dead
Photo of Sgt. Ron Helus, Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy killed during Wednesday evening’s mass shooting incident at Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California. pic.twitter.com/ZzPlwXnNyr
— Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) November 8, 2018
Photo of Sgt. Ron Helus from his Facebook page. While others ran, he went inside to take on the shooter. Now he’s gone. Heartbreaking #hero #duty #Borderline #RIP pic.twitter.com/rrXHNAzUx4
— Kyle Jorrey (@KyleBJorrey) November 8, 2018
