A retired police officer fatally shot three people and injured six others at a landmark California biker bar, an attack authorities suspect was intended to target his estranged wife.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office received reports of gunfire on Wednesday around 7 p.m. inside Cook’s Corner in the Trabuco Canyon area of Orange County, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The first deputies arrived on the scene within minutes of the first 911 call, and they were immediately confronted by an armed suspect.
The gunman was killed in the subsequent gunfire exchange and pronounced dead on the scene, police said. His name has not been released, but Cmdr. Mike Brown told reporters he worked at the Ventura Police Department from 1986 to 2014.
Another three people were fatally struck in the gunfire while six others were rushed to the hospital, five of them with gunshot wounds, the sheriff’s department posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Two of them were in critical condition, Providence Mission Hospital, a trauma center in Mission Viejo, said in a statement.
None of the victims have been identified.
Authorities provided few other details about the bloodshed, though they did say a weapon was recovered at the scene.
A pair of law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times that the shooter was targeting his estranged wife during the attack. It’s unknown whether he followed her to the bar, a longtime community staple where motorcyclists and biker enthusiasts for years have enjoyed drinks, live music, and open-mic nights.
It’s also not clear exactly how many people were present, but police said the place was packed with patrons enjoying the bar’s $8 Spaghetti Night when the shooting occurred. M Street — a five-piece Orange County rock band — was also scheduled to perform at the bar Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., according to the venue’s online calendar.
Police said they are still in the process of interviewing “upwards of 30 to 40 witnesses.”
Trabuco Canyon is a small community located in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains, about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
With News Wire Services