Authorities identify California shooting suspect as 28-year-old Marine Corps veteran

Police have identified the suspected gunman who opened fire and killed at least 12 people at a California bar as 28-year-old Ian David Long, a veteran of the Marine Corps.

The shooter entered the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, at about 11:20 p.m. Wednesday night, Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said early Thursday, per The Associated Press. A sheriff's sergeant who was responding at the scene, Ron Helus, was among those killed. Authorities said Thursday that the gunman used a .45-caliber handgun, which he purchased legally and modified.

Authorities also said Thursday that police had had a number of interactions with the suspect over the years for "minor events," such as a traffic collision. In April, deputies were called to his house, and he was "acting a little irrationally," Dean said. A crisis intervention team was called out and a mental health specialist cleared him.

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The suspect was found dead in the bar, the county sheriff said, and authorities believe he shot himself. Witnesses to the shooting had said that he was dressed in all black and wearing glasses, CNN reports. Records show the suspected shooter served in the Marine Corps from 2008 to 2013.