As many as five people may have died and multiple others were injured Wednesday evening in a shooting at a famed biker bar in Orange County.
The shooting occurred at about 7:30 p.m. at Cook’s Corner in the 19100 block of Santiago Canyon Road, but Orange County sheriff’s officials had little initial information, posting only on social media that there where “believed to be multiple victims from gunshot.”
Video from the scene clearly showed at least two bodies covered with sheets outside the bar. Citing an unnamed law enforcement source, KCAL9 reported that five people had died — including the gunman — and six others were wounded and taken to hospitals.
According to the station, the alleged gunman was a retired Southern California law enforcement officer who opened fire as a result of a domestic disturbance with his wife at the bar, and the wife was one of the dead victims. The suspect was also believed to be among the dead, possibly having been shot by a sheriff’s deputy, the station reported.
Sheriff’s officials did not immediately confirm the reports.
Sheriff’s deputies and multiple paramedics swarmed to the scene, and all streets in the vicinity were shut down.
Cook’s Corner is a well known bar and biker hangout. The building is believed to date back to the late 1800s, although it did not begin operating as a restaurant until the 1920s. The restaurant bills itself as “one of the most famous biker bars in Southern California.”
On Wednesday night, the bar/restaurant was hosting an $8 spaghetti dinner special, along with a live band that began at 6:30 p.m., with the shots ringing out about an hour later.
State Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, quickly issued a statement saying he was “heartbroken” by the shooting in his area.
“Our district is one of the safest areas in the country and yet we too are repeatedly afflicted with the scourge of mass shootings,” Min said. “An office park in Orange, a church in Laguna Woods, a bar in Trabuco Canyon. There is no place in America that is safe from the scourge of gun violence. There is no community not affected. Me heart breaks for the families and loved ones of the victims. We cannot rest until we end gun violence in this country.”