A retired police sergeant who killed three people at a Trabuco Canyon hotspot entered and moved directly toward his estranged wife, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said Thursday.
He shot her, then began randomly firing into the crowd, hitting eight others.
The Sheriff’s department identified the gunman Thursday morning as John Snowling, 59. According to the Ventura Police Department, Snowling retired from that agency as a sergeant in February 2014, ending a career that began in July 1986.
At an afternoon news conference, Barnes said Snowling, who apparently has residences in Camarillo, Orange County and Ohio, traveled from Ohio to Southern California then made his way Wednesday night to Cook’s Corner, a biker bar in the 19100 block of Santiago Canyon Road.
The suspect knew his estranged wife – identified as Marie Snowling in court papers –would be there, Barnes said. The couple were in the midst of a divorce.
It was unclear how long the shooter had been in the area or if he had been tracing his estranged wife’s movements. But Barnes said witnesses told investigators that the man walked directly up to her around 7 p.m. and without conversation or argument, shot her once.
Barnes declined to discuss the nature of her injuries, but the woman’s father told reporters she was shot in the jaw and survived. Barnes said the woman was reported Thursday afternoon to be conscious and talking to her adult son, one of two adult children she shared with the gunman.
According to Barnes, Snowling also shot a person who was dining with his wife; the woman died outside the bar.
Irvine resident John Leehey, 67, also was killed. The authorities did not identify the shooter’s wife, her friend or another man who tried to engage with the gunman and halt the shooting, He was killed outside the bar.
Barnes said Snowling went to the bar with four weapons, three handguns and a shotgun. He initially armed himself with two of the handguns, and at some point retreated to his silver pickup in the bar’s parking lot to retrieve the other handgun and the shotgun.
When sheriff’s deputies arrived, Snowling opened fire at them, prompting seven deputies to return fire, killing the suspect at the scene, Barnes said.
According to Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, the seven deputies fired at least 75 rounds at the suspect.
Spitzer said his office will review the propriety of the law-enforcement shooting, but he hasn’t found any evidence to believe “in any way whatsoever that their acts were nothing less than heroic and that nothing they did last night indicates any criminal activity or excessive use of force in any way whatsoever.”
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, including Snowling. Six other people were taken to Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.
Marie Snowling, initially listed in critical condition at Providence Mission, was transferred overnight to UCI Medical Center in Orange, according to hospital officials and relatives.
According to Providence Mission Hospital, a man who was shot in the chest remained hospitalized Thursday and was still in critical condition, but stable.
The other four patients taken to Providence Mission were all men. One of them was released Wednesday and two others were expected to go home Thursday. The fourth, who was shot in an arm, was scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday, according to the hospital.
Ventura police issued a statement Thursday saying the agency was cooperating with Orange County authorities in the investigation.
“Our hearts weigh heavy with the distressing incident at Cook’s Corner,” Chief Darin Schindler said. “Our deepest condolences are with the families of the victims, the survivors, and the Orange County deputies who swiftly responded to the scene. This incident deeply affects us all.”
Cook’s Corner bills itself as “one of the most famous biker bars in Southern California.” Barnes and Spitzer insisted that while the establishment is historically known as a biker bar, it is actually a welcoming restaurant for families, particularly on spaghetti nights, which was happening Wednesday.
“It’s a gathering place,” Barnes said. “It’s a place for families to go to share a meal. It’s a tight-knit community.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement Thursday lamenting the shooting, while also urging the public to take advantage of “red-flag” laws that can lead to seizure of weapons from people who might be considered threats to themselves or others.
“California mourns for the victims of last night’s horrific shooting at Cook’s Corner,” Newsom said, while also noting the connection to domestic violence and the prevalence of the crime among mass shooters.
– City News Service
