Four people including a gunman have been killed in a shooting at a Southern California biker bar, Orange County Sheriff’s officials say.
The shooting occurred about 7pm on Thursday at Cook's Corner in rural Trabuco Canyon in Orange County - a popular longtime watering hole for motorcycle riders and enthusiasts who gather for live music, open-mic nights, or a cold beer after a long ride.
The gunman was dead four minutes after authorities received the first report of the shooting.
They arrived on the scene within two minutes and engaged in gunfire with the shooter, Orange County Sheriff’s Sergeant Frank Gonzalez said.
The Ventura County Star newspaper reported Orange County authorities told Commander Mike Brown the gunman was a retired police officer with the Ventura Police Department.
The gunman worked at the agency from 1986 to 2014, Brown said.
Orange County Undersheriff Jeff Hallock did not provide details about the gunman or how the incident unfolded at a news conference on Wednesday hours after the shooting, saying authorities were still gathering information from the scene and interviewing witnesses.
Four people, including the shooter, were pronounced dead on the scene.
Six others were taken to hospital, five of them with gunshot wounds, the sheriff's department posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Two were in critical condition, Providence Mission Hospital, a trauma centre in Mission Viejo, said in a statement.
Hours before the shooting, several patrons were stopping by Cook's Corner for an afternoon drink and meal.
Rows of motorcycles and bikes framed the gravel entrance where plaques describe the storied history of the bar built in 1884.
The bar calls itself the oldest motorcycle bar in Southern California and has become known as a community gathering spot for a wide range of people.
It hosts a regular Wednesday spaghetti night and band.
“We’ve experienced major earthquakes, forest fires, floods, recessions and other disasters,” the bar says on its website.
"We’ve gotten through all of them and came out stronger.
"Ride down and check us out."
Dozens of patrol cars and ambulances converged on the scene on Wednesday evening.
“Incident scene at Cook's Corner is static,” the department posted several hours after the shooting was first reported.
California Governor Gavin Newsom was monitoring the shooting “and co-ordinating with local officials as more details become available”, his office tweeted.
