Cook’s Corner shooting - latest: Victims are named as ex-cop suspect John Snowling’s divorce details emerge
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office identified the gunman as retired Ventura Police sergeant John Snowling, 59
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At least four people have been killed and others are being treated for gunshot wounds after a mass shooting at a popular bikers’ bar in California’s Orange County.
The Orange County sheriff said those killed included the suspected gunman, identified by The Orange County Sheriff’s Department as John Snowling, 59.
Three people died and six others were injured before Snowling was killed by law enforcement. The fatal victims have been identified as John Leehey, 67, Tonya Clark, 49, and Glen Sprowl, 53.
The incident began with a domestic dispute between the gunman and his wife. Snowling, a retired law enforcement officer with the Ventura Police Department, opened fire on his wife Marie Snowling and her dining companion.
Sheriff Don Barnes said on Thursday that Snowling then continued shooting indiscriminately. A man who approached Snwoling as the gunman retrieved more weapons from his vehicle was fatally shot.
Ms Snowling had filed for divorce in December 2022, according to The Los Angeles Times. A neighbour of the couple told the outlet she had moved in with her ailing mother while Snowling was spending most of his time in Ohio, where he owned a property.
Gunman’s wife was wounded during the attack but survived, father says
Snowling’s estranged wife Marie Snowling was shot during the altercation.
Despite earlier reports that she had not survived the attack, her father William Mosby told The Orange County on Wednesday that Ms Snowling is recovering from her injuries at Providence Mission Hospital Mission Viejo.
“Her friend in the bar said she was shot in the lower jaw,” Mr Mosby told the outlet. “I’m extremely relieved, what I heard was the worst.”
Mr Mosby described Snowling as a “crazy husband” who couldn’t cope with Ms Snowling’s request for a divorce.
Gunman in Cook’s Corner shooting identified as retired police officer John Snowling
The suspected gunman in Wednesday night’s shooting at a biker’s bar in California has been identified as retired police officer John Snowling.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Snowling, a former officer from the City of Ventura, died during a confrontation with law enforcement. Undersheriff Jeff Hallock said he couldn’t confirm whether Snowling was killed by deputies but said it was “safe to assume” so, local news station KTLA reports.
The violence broke out around 7pm at the Cook’s Corner bar. Four people, including the suspected gunman, were killed.
Read more:
Gunman in Cook’s Corner shooting identified as retired police officer John Snowling
John Snowling was a former officer with the City of Ventura Police Department
It began like any normal night at historic biker bar Cook’s Corner. It ended with a mass shooting
A regular night at a popular biker bar took a devastating turn when gunfire broke out.
The Independent’s Faiza Saqib reports:
What we know about the Cook’s Corner biker bar shooting
A regular night at a popular biker bar took a devastating turn when gunfire broke out. Faiza Saqib reports
Suspected shooter targeted estranged wife, official says
A law enforcement official who spoke about the shooting under the condition of anonymity told The New York Times that the suspected gunman was targeting his wife Marie Snowling when he carried out the Thursday attack at Cook’s Corner.
Ms Snowling’s wife was injured but survived the attack, according to her father.
John Snowling, a retired law enforcement officer, was killed during the confrontation.
Three other people died in the carnage, while six others were wounded.
Snowling’s wife filed for divorce a year ago
According to the Los Angeles Times, Marie Snowling filed for divorce in December 2022.
A neighbour of the Snowlings told the Times that he believed the Snowlings’ marital issues stemmed from Ms Snowling wanting to go out more often, while her estranged husband wanted to stay at home.
“John was always kind of a standoffish kind of person,” James Goldsmith, 68, told the outlet. “He wasn’t the most personable guy, not that I can say that there was anything really negative. He wasn’t the type of neighbour that you’d get the warm fuzzies from.”
Mr Goldmisth said that Ms Snowling had moved out and now lived with her mother after she filed for divorce last year.
Snowling had recently bought a home in Ohio and was spending most of his time there, Mr Goldsmith said.
“I think it reached a point where it felt like life was passing her by because he didn’t want to do anything,” Mr Goldmisth told the Times.
“He would barely maintain the house. I think she wanted to have friends and live life and that’s why I think she made the move that she did. It’s sad that he couldn’t allow that and let her live her own life.”
Ventura Police Department offers condolences to families of Cook’s Corner shooting victims
The suspected gunman who opened fire on a crowd at the Cook’s Corner bar on Wednesday night was identified on Thursday as former Ventura police officer John Snowling.
Snowling was employed by the agency from 1984 until his retirement in 2014.
“Our hearts weigh heavy with the distressing incident at Cook’s Corner,” Ventura Police Department Chief Darin Schindler said in a statement following the tragedy.
“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.”
WATCH: Shooting at Cook’s Corner in Orange County
Who was the alleged gunman?
The suspected gunman was identified on Thursday as retired police officer John Snowling.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office said that Snowling had been employed by the Ventura Police Department from 1984 until his retirement in 2014. According to an article published in 2012, Snowling led a patrol task force within the agency.
Local media reports said that the incident began as a domestic dispute between the shooter and his wife, Marie Snowling.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department said it was looking into reports that the suspect first shot his wife at the bar.
‘I’m devastated,’ California senator calls for end to gun violence in America
Expressing his sorrow after the shooting, California state Senator Dave Min issued a statement urging an end to the scourge of gun violence.
“I’m devastated at the news of yet another mass shooting tonight, this time at Cook’s Corner, a historic bar in the heart of Orange County,” he said.
Authorities have yet to release victims’ names
Four people were killed during the attack, and six others were injured during the violence.
Two of the wounded remain in critical condition.
Local officials have not identified the victims, but family members and friends have confirmed that Marie Snowling, the gunman’s estranged wife, is among the injured.
She is being treated for gunshot wounds.