A Hero's Procession For Deputy Killed In Thousand Oaks Massacre

LOS ANGELES, CA — A procession of police officers and first responders escorted the body of Ventura County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Ron Helus, who died a hero trying to stop the mass murder of 12 people at the Borderline Bar & Grill, to the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office in Ventura this morning.

Tearful supporters lined up along Ventura (101 ) Freeway overpasses to salute the fallen hero. Moments after gunfire erupted at the Thousand Oaks bar, Helus ran toward the danger. He was gunned down trying to stop the killing.

Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean praised Helus' courage.

He was on a phone call with his wife and told her he loved her before running into the bar, said Dean. “He said, ‘Hon, I got to go. I love you. I gotta go on a call,’” Dean told reporters.

Authorities believe that after Helus confronted the shooter, he knew that police were closing in on him, and he walked into a backroom and took his own life, bringing an end to the massacre.

A California Highway Patrol officer managed to pull Helus away from the gunfire and secured the perimeter until backup could arrive. The sergeant later died at a hospital.

In addition to the 13 dead inside the bar, more than 20 other people were found suffering from various injuries and had to be rushed to local hospitals, according to county officials. Those who were injured have been treated and released. Long's body was found in an office inside the building, according to Dean.

Helus' body was being moved from the Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks to the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office in Ventura in a 10 a.m. procession that closed the northbound side of the freeway, according to Capt. Garo Kuredjian.

City News Service contributed to this report. Photo: Firefighters salute from an overpass as a motorcade with the body of Ventura County Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus goes by Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Newbury Park, Calif. Helus was fatally shot while responding to a mass shooting at a country music bar in Southern California. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)