5 Things To Know About Cook's Corner Mass Shooting

TRABUCO CANYON, CA — Orange County investigators were working Thursday to determine what prompted a retired Ventura Police Department sergeant to go on a shooting rampage inside a famous Orange County biker bar, killing three people and injuring six others before being killed in a shootout with deputies.

The shooting was reported at around 7 p.m. Wednesday at Cook's Corner in Trabuco Canyon, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

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Late Thursday morning, the Orange County Sheriff's Department identified the gunman as 59-year-old John Snowling, a retired Ventura Police Department sergeant.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer issued a statement about the shooting ahead of a scheduled 3 p.m. news conference Thursday afternoon.

"My heart is broken into a million pieces for people who know and love Cook's Corner, and for the people who were subjected to this unspeakable act of violence," Spitzer said. "Thoughts and prayers ring hollow as the loved ones of the dead mourn their senseless loss of life and once again ask: Why did this happen? While we mourn this loss of life, we hope that all those who were injured recover."

Here are five things to know about the shooting:

1. The gunman was a former Ventura County Police Sergeant.

John Snowling retired from the Ventura Police Department as a sergeant in February 2014, ending a career that began in July 1986. The Ventura Police Department issued a statement Thursday saying the agency was cooperating with Orange County authorities in the investigation.

"Our hearts weigh heavy with the distressing incident at Cook's Corner," VPD Chief Darin Schindler said. "Our deepest condolences are with the families of the victims, the survivors, and the Orange County deputies who swiftly responded to the scene. This incident deeply affects us all."

2. The shooter was targeting his estranged wife, who frequented Cook's Corner.

Snowling targeted his estranged wife, who was reportedly a regular at the bar, according to two law enforcement sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to The Orange County Register, Snowling's estranged wife, Marie Snowling, was shot in the lower jaw. Friends and family of Marie told the newspaper that she was hospitalized at UCI Medical Center.

The newspaper reported that she filed for divorce in Dec. 2022.

Her father, William Mosby, spoke with the newspaper Wednesday night and described John Snowling as a "crazy husband" who couldn't deal with the divorce.

3. Three people were killed and six were injured in the shooting.

When the rampage ended, four people were declared dead at the scene — including Snowling — and six other people were taken to Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.

According to Providence Mission Hospital spokesman James Chisum, two patients were in critical condition as of Wednesday night and four others were considered "stable."

Snowling's wife was shot in the jaw and was initially listed in critical condition, but was transferred overnight to UCI Medical Center in Orange, The Orange County Register reported

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According to Chisum, a critically injured man who was shot in the chest remained hospitalized Thursday morning and was still in critical but stable condition.

The four other patients taken to Providence Mission were all men. One was released Wednesday night, two others were expected to go home Thursday and one — who was shot in an arm — was expected to undergo surgery Thursday, he said.

The names of the three people who died in the shooting have not yet been released.

Various witness reports indicated that one of the people injured in the shooting was a cook at the restaurant, and an unknown number of people barricaded themselves inside the kitchen to avoid the gunman.

According to multiple reports, a woman who encountered the gunman outside the bar begged the man not to shoot her, telling him she was pregnant. The woman said the shooter spared her life, telling her, "Get out of here."

4. Snowling was gunned down outside of the bar by deputies.

A sheriff's department spokesman confirmed Wednesday night that deputies engaged in gunfire with the gunman within minutes of arriving to the scene shortly after 7 p.m. Orange County Undersheriff Jeff Hallock told CNN that authorities rolled up to the scene within two minutes of gunfire ringing out.

A witness also told reporters he saw the gunman wielding some type of long rifle and engaging in a gunfight with sheriff's deputies. Snowling was killed by the deputies' gunfire, Hallock said.

5. The shooting took place at "one of the most famous biker bars in California" during a live performance.

Authorities and witnesses said the gunfire rang out around 7 p.m. Wednesday inside famed biker bar Cook's Corner while a band known as M Street was performing for the crowd during the establishment's popular weekly $8 spaghetti dinner night.

A man who had been on his way to Cook's Corner told KCAL9 Wednesday night that friends of his were inside the bar when the shooting occurred and they saw the gunman, who was described as an older man with a gray beard. He said his friends were not injured.

A witness to the shooting told KTLA5 at the scene Wednesday night the band was playing when the sound of gunfire rang out inside the bar. The man said he saw "a guy that had a light blue shirt on, he had two guns in his hands."

The witness told the station he heard a barrage of gunfire as the gunman entered the bar. The gunman then ran out to the parking lot and retrieved what appeared to be a rifle or shotgun from a silver pickup and he began shooting again, the witness said.

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."

City News Service contributed to this report.