‘Multiple fatalities’ after 11 shot at California bar’s college night

Nov. 8, 2018 / 8:39 AM GMT / Updated 10:29 AM GMT

By Alexander Smith, Kurt Chirbas, Caitlin Fichtel and Saphora Smith

Multiple people were killed in a mass shooting at a crowded bar in Thousand Oaks, California, late Wednesday, officials said.

At least 11 people were shot, including a sheriff’s deputy, during the incident at the Borderline Bar and Grill.

Sgt. Eric Buschow, of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, said that “multiple fatalities” had been confirmed.

Police said several hundred people were inside the venue, which was hosting a “college country night” for students.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office later told NBC Los Angeles that the shooter had been killed.

The gunman opened fire at around 11:20 p.m. (2:20 a.m. ET Thursday).

One officer was injured when he arrived at the scene with colleagues and “attempted to neutralize the threat,” Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Garo Kuredjian said.

One woman said she was inside the bar when she heard “a lot of gunshots.”

“We dropped,” she said on MSNBC, without giving her name. “I looked behind me and there was a smoke bomb going off.”

Nov. 8, 201801:49

Other witnesses also reported seeing what they described as a smoke bomb, although police said they could not confirm that.

One college student who said he was a regular at the Borderline told NBC Los Angeles he had at least 10 friends inside.

“No one’s gotten back to me,” he said on camera without giving his name. “I’d like to hope for the best, but I have no idea.”

Two passersby who said they had friends who visited the bar frequently told NBC Los Angeles that they spoke to one man who had managed to escape the bar.

“He told his story, how he broke windows and he and a couple of friends helped push women out saved them first,” said one of the women, who did not identify herself. “His hands were kind of bloody, he had blood on his face. His friend was shot in the shoulder.”

Earlier, the Ventura County Fire Department said on Twitter that “multiple ambulances” had been requested.

Aerial footage of the scene showed at least eight police cars on a street with their lights flashing.

The venue opened in 1993 and describes itself as a “haven for country line dancing folks of all ages.” It says it’s hosted many famous acts including the The Beach Boys.

Located around 40 miles west of Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks was ranked the third-safest city in the United States this year, according to the data analysis website Niche.

It is the 307th mass shooting in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.