Multiple people injured in California bar shooting: US official

Multiple people are believed to have been injured in a shooting at a bar packed with college students in southern California, local authorities say.

At least 11 people were shot when a suspect opened fire in the crowded bar in Thousand Oaks, about 50km west of Los Angeles.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Captain Garo Kuredjian said at a news conference early on Thursday that the sheriff’s deputy was also among the injured and has been taken to a hospital.

“Investigators are inside going through the scene to make sure it is safe,” Kuredjian told reporters.

“We don’t feel that the shooter has left the bar and grill so whatever it is was contained inside.”

Earlier, police told the Los Angeles Times that at least 30 shots were fired at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks.

Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds, reporting from Washington DC, said the bar was packed with college students before the gunman forced his way in.

“The gunman used an automatic weapon and also threw in some sort of smoke bombs in to the crowd in the club,” he said.

The extent of the victims’ injuries has not yet been released. Law enforcement and emergency crews were flooding the scene.

An unnamed source told reporters that a victim managed to escape through the window of the bar.

“He told us how he broke a couple of windows and him and his friends helped push women out to save them first. His hand was cut up and he has blood on his face. His friend was shot in the shoulder,” the eyewitness said. 

Authorities urged the public to avoid the area.

SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies