Thousand Oaks mass shooting: Ventura County Sheriff’s Office updates

A tall, hooded gunman dressed in black and covering his face with a bandana opened fire late Wednesday during "college night" at a crowded country dance bar in Southern California, killing 11 people and a sheriff's sergeant.

The shooter, apparently firing at random, also died in the rampage. Police said they have identified the gunman but did not give out a name.

Authorities said the gunfire broke out at the Borderline Bar & Grill, a country-western dance bar in Thousand Oaks, which is about 40 miles west of Los Angeles. Hundreds of people fled in terror, including some who used bar stools to break windows and escape.

"It’s a horrific scene in there,” said Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean, who choked up at one point while speaking to reporters in the bar's parking lot. “There’s blood everywhere.”

A law enforcement official told The Associated Press the suspect was 29 years old, armed with a .45-caliber handgun and used a smoke device. The official declined to provide any other details, speaking on condition of anonymity for lack of authorization to publicly discuss the investigation.