24th August, 2023
A mass shooting at a renowned motorcycle club in Trabuco Canyon in Orange County (southern California) killed at least four people and injured six more on Wednesday night.
This was revealed on Thursday, according to law enforcement sources.
After the incident was reported at about 7:30 p.m. (0230 GMT), authorities descended on Cook’s Corner on Santiago Canyon Road.
According to two anonymous reports, the gunman was a retired Ventura County law enforcement officer. Up to five people may have died in the incident.
Sources say that the gunman was looking for his estranged wife.
It is unknown whether the shooter followed her to the spot before opening fire on the throng, they said.
According to the source, there is no active threat.
Cook’s Corner, a popular motorcycle stop, is located near O’Neill Regional Park at the intersection of El Toro, Santiago Canyon, and Live Oak Canyon roads.
M Street, a five-piece Orange County rock band, was slated to perform at the pub Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m., according to the venue’s web calendar.
The band shared a video on its Instagram page early Wednesday evening showing its instruments set up on a small stage in the still-empty-looking wood-paneled tavern.
“I’m heartbroken by the news of yet another mass shooting tonight, this time at Cook’s Corner, a historic bar in the heart of Orange County.
“My heart breaks for the families and loved ones of the victims,’’ state Senator Dave Min, an Irvine Democrat, said in a statement.
According to a Times article, Cook’s Corner was named after Andrew Jackson Cook, who received around 190 acres of Aliso Canyon in a land exchange in 1884.
In 1931, his son, Earl Jack E.J. Cook, launched a roadside hamburger stand.
After prohibition ended in 1933, he claims, alcohol was introduced to the menu, and Cook’s Corner became a full-fledged bar.
Cook purchased an old mess hall from the Santa Ana Army Air Base in 1946 and transported it up El Toro Road, thereby establishing the tavern.
Riders found the location in the 1970s, and it has remained popular for decades.
dpa/NAN