US bar gunman posted on social media during attack that killed 12
A former US Marine who killed 12 people in a bar posted on social media during the attack.
Ian David Long, 28, shot and killed 12 people including a police sergeant, at Borderline Bar and Grill in suburban Los Angeles, just before midnight Wednesday. It’s believed he then took his own life.
A law enforcement official said Long posted to social media during the attack.
The official told The Associated Press that the 28-year-old had Facebook and Instagram accounts and that he posted about his mental state and whether people would believe he was sane.
Authorities haven’t determined a motive.
The official said investigators are looking at possibilities including whether the gunman believed his former girlfriend would be at the bar.
Long ‘mentally disturbed’ as a student
A high school track coach said she was afraid of Long as a student.
Dominique Colell said she had run-ins with then-sprinter Long that convinced her that he was “mentally disturbed” and had “anger issues” before he left to join the US Marine Corps.
In one instance, Ms Colell said Long grabbed her rear and midsection after she refused to return a phone he said was his.
Ms Colell said she wanted to kick Long off the team but the boy’s coach urged her to reconsider because that could compromise his goal of joining the Marines.
Trump blames mental illness for shooting
President Donald Trump is blaming mental illness for the California bar shooting that left 13 people dead, including the shooter.
Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, described the gunman as “a very sick puppy” who had “a lot of problems.”
Long was seen by a mental health specialist in April who worried the Marine veteran might have post-traumatic stress disorder. Investigators have not commented on whether mental illness played a role.
Trump touted his efforts to fund PTSD among veterans but he declined to engage on questions on whether the nation needed stricter gun control laws.
Trump has closely aligned himself with the powerful gun lobbying group, the National Rifle Association, and has resisted calls for tougher firearms measures.
