US shooter identified as 28-yr-old ex-Marine

Neon signs are on display at The Borderline Bar and Grill, the scene of a mass shooting, is seen on 8 November, 2018 in Thousand Oaks, California. Photo: AFP
Neon signs are on display at The Borderline Bar and Grill, the scene of a mass shooting, is seen on 8 November, 2018 in Thousand Oaks, California. Photo: AFP

The gunman who killed 12 people in a crowded California country music bar has been identified as 28-year-old Ian David Long, a former Marine, the local sheriff said Thursday.

The suspect, who was armed with a .45-caliber handgun, was found deceased at the Borderline Bar and Grill, the scene of the shooting in the city of Thousand Oaks northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

“We believe he shot himself,” Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said.

“We have had several contacts with Mr. Long over the years, minor events, a traffic collision,” Dean told a news conference.

Deputies were called to Long’s house in response to a disturbance in April this year and “felt he might be suffering from PTSD,” he said.

Long was “somewhat irate. Acting a little irrationally,” he said. However, mental health specialists who were called in “talked to him, and cleared him.”

Investigators have not established a motive for the shooting, and knew of nothing that connected Long to the Borderline.

Dean said Long was veteran who had served in the Marine Corps.