Cook’s Corner, 911 Calls Details Chaos: ‘My Boyfriend Just Got Shot’

“My buddy just got shot, we’re at Cook’s Corner.”

Newly released audio of 911 calls after mass shooting at popular Orange County bar captures heartbreaking moments of tragedy, with patrons trying to save friends even as gunfire continues in the background. plan.

Orange County Fire Department released the audio of three calls Thursday.

Shortly after 7 p.m. on August 23, retired Ventura police officer John Snowling entered Cook’s Corner armed with several firearms. He shot his wife, Marie Snowling, in the face, then shot eight others – three of whom died – before being killed by Orange County sheriff’s deputies.

The first caller that evening describes a man who was shot in the left side. While the dispatcher is still on the phone with the caller, he receives another call from the 911 dispatcher informing him that someone is still shooting in the bar.

“So he’s an active shooter?” Alright, we’ll improve our response,” the dispatcher said.

The victim’s painful moans can be heard in the background as the dispatcher instructs the caller to cover the wound with a clean cloth or T-shirt.

“He says he can’t breathe,” the caller said in a measured but strained voice. “Wait, the guy is still shooting.”

The final minute of the call includes a series of audible gunshots in the background, likely from the shooting of John Snowling by the deputies. The last thing the caller says is, “The cops are here.”

On the night of the shooting, Orange County Deputy Sheriff Jeff Hallock said the entire incident, from the initial 911 call to the officers shooting Snowling, happened in the morning. several minutes. The audio highlights the chaos of those moments and those that followed, as people sought help and attempted to rescue victims.

The second call begins with audible gunshots in the background as a dispatcher connects with another passerby dealing with the same victim.

The caller says the victim is seated under a concrete retaining wall, safe from fire, and has a gunshot wound to the left side. The dispatcher asks if the victim is breathing normally and how much blood was lost.

“He’s conscious,” the caller said. “He is in a lot of pain.”

The dispatcher then asks for details of the scene, including the number of gunshot victims and what the suspect looks like. The caller describes Snowling as a white male in his fifties wearing a dark colored baseball cap, button-up t-shirt or polo shirt, and blue jeans.

“Well, here’s the thing: they’re not going to come down here while there’s active shooting,” the caller said of the arrival of paramedics after a series of gunshots were heard.

The call ends when the man decides to take the victim for medical treatment.

On the last call, the caller is described by a dispatcher as someone “helping the injured.” But the line is open and all we hear is noise and chaotic cries.

The dispatcher says, “Hello, can you hear me? Hello?” but gets no response.

The sounds of the scene are heard over the line: a cacophony of voices, a man asking for help to treat the wound of one of the victims.

Then, two minutes into the roll call, shots ring out. A minute later, more shots. Then the call ends.