'Horrific': Over a Dozen Killed After Gunman Opens Fire in California Bar

People comfort each other outside a bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif., where a gunman opened fire and killed 12. (Photo: Mark J. Terrill/AP)

'Horrific': Over a Dozen Killed After Gunman Opens Fire in California Bar

"It was sheer panic. Everyone ran and dropped as fast as they could."

This is a breaking news story and may be updated...

More than a dozen people were killed and many more injured late Wednesday night after a gunman opened fire inside a bar in Thousand Oaks, California.

According to authorities, a man who has yet to be identified sprayed gunfire inside the Borderline Bar and Grill, where college students were holding country music night. More than 13 people--including the gunman--were killed.

Details of the "horrific" scene were described by witnesses who were inside the bar when the gunman opened fire.

As the Washington Postreported:

A man and his stepfather interviewed by ABC7 Eyewitness News said they heard about 12 shots before they were able to exit through the front door of the nightclub.

"He fired the first shot," the stepfather said. "And I knew it was real. My son thought it was a joke, so I pulled him down and got some cover. I looked up, and he was moving to the right. He shot the front doorman, who was just a young man. Then he shot the cashier, just a young girl."

"It was sheer panic," said 19-year-old Teylor Whittler, who was at the venue when the gunman entered and began shooting. "Everyone ran and dropped as fast as they could."

According to California police, more than 100 people were inside the bar at the time of the mass shooting, which is one of nearly 300 that have taken place in the United States in 2018 alone.

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