THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — The gunman who killed 12 people at a Southern California bar was a Marine who served one combat tour in Afghanistan.
The Marine Corps says 28-year-old Ian David Long was deployed to Afghanistan for seven months, from Nov. 16, 2010, to June 14, 2011.
He was in the Marines from August 2008 until March 2013, serving as a machine gunner and earning the rank of corporal in August 2011.
The Marine Corps says Long earned several awards, including a Combat Action Ribbon and a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Third Marine Division in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
Authorities say Long opened fire during college night at a Thousand Oaks country music bar on Wednesday night, killing 12 and sending hundreds fleeing before apparently taking his own life.
Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean says the gun had an extended magazine that is illegal in California. The sheriff says he does not know how many rounds that magazine can hold.
Dean said his department had several previous contacts with Long, including a call to his home in April, when deputies found him angry and acting irrationally because of what authorities were told might have been PTSD.
A mental health specialist met with him and didn’t feel he needed hospitalization.
(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)