A shooter opened fire at a bar in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday night, leaving at least 11 people injured, California authorities said.
“I can’t tell you much about the shooter at this point. We are still looking for the shooter. We can’t confirm the shooter is in custody at this point,” Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Garo Kuredjian said at a news conference.
When deputies responded to the scene, he said, shots were still being fired. The injured included a deputy, Kuredjian said.
“I can’t tell you what the status of any of those that were shot is at this point,” he said.
People gathered near the scene of the shooting, hugging and crying as red and blue lights from police cars flickered in the background. Law enforcement officers hovered around the bar with flashlights and weapons drawn.
“Ongoing active shooter incident reported at Borderline,” the Ventura County Fire Department tweeted. “Please stay away from area. Active law enforcement incident. Multiple injuries reported. Details still being determined.”
Borderline Bar & Grill is a western-style facility that hosts theme nights such as country, salsa and swing dancing. Its website listed Wednesday’s event as college country night between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m.
The bar is a few miles from California Lutheran University, and is a popular spot for students on such nights.
Nick Steinwender, who is part of the university’s student government, said his friends were inside the bar when the shooting started. He described what they told him to CNN affiliate KABC.
“It was chaos, people jumping out of windows, hopping over gates and just trying to get out,” he said. “From what I heard, the gunman started shooting at the front desk. … Students were hiding in the attics, bathrooms and stuff like that.”
Thousand Oaks is in Ventura County, about 40 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
This is a developing story.