USA TODAY International Edition
Autopsy: Bar gunman killed himself; service is set for slain officer
The former Marine who gunned down 12 people at a Southern California bar last week shot and killed himself at the scene, an autopsy confirmed.
Christopher Young, chief medical examiner for Ventura County, said a toxicology study was being done to determine whether gunman Ian David Long, 28, had any drugs in his system when he opened fire inside the crowded Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks late Wednesday.
Long, 28, killed 11 bar patrons and Ventura County sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus, the first officer to respond to the shooting. Helus was shot multiple times after exchanging gunfire with Long. A memorial service for Helus is set for Thursday.
A GoFundMe drive has collected more than $22,000 for Helus’ family.
Long, armed with a semiautomatic pistol, killed everyone he shot. More than 20 people were injured by shattered glass and the chaotic scramble to escape the carnage.
Capt. Garo Kuredjian of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said investigators interviewed hundreds of people but have not determined what Long’s motive was for committing “such a heinous attack.”
Authorities tried to determine whether Long believed a former girlfriend might have been at the bar, which was packed with more than 100 people for College Night.
“We’re going to exhaust every investigative means possible,” Kuredjian said. “We won’t know until we see where the evidence leads.”
Kuredjian said there was no timeline for completing the investigation. The analysis of items obtained in the searches could take months, he said.
Long’s posts on social media during the rampage were removed.
The first call to law enforcement came in at 11:19 p.m. Wednesday. Officers entered the building at 11:25 p.m. Long first posted on Instagram at 11:24 p.m: “It’s too bad I won’t get to see all the illogical and pathetic reasons people will put in my mouth as to why I did it,” Long said in the post.