Retired police sergeant who killed 3 at Southern California bar shot his estranged wife first, authorities say: Updates

The suspect in the deadly shooting at a historic Southern California bar had traveled from Ohio to confront his estranged wife, shooting her in the face before randomly shooting at patrons, authorities said Thursday.

The shooting started at about 7 p.m. Wednesday at Cook's Corner bar in Trabuco Canyon, a small unincorporated community in eastern Orange County, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Four victims were confirmed dead at the scene, including the suspect, and six were taken to hospitals with injuries.

In an update Thursday afternoon, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes identified the shooter as John Snowling, 59, a retired sergeant from the Ventura Police Department. Authorities believe Snowling, who had an ongoing dispute with his wife during their pending divorce, traveled from Ohio to Southern California before the shooting occurred.

His wife was among the six injured, and was conscious and speaking as of Thursday afternoon, Barnes said.

The six injured were all hit by gunfire, according to Dr. Tetsuya Takeuchi, the trauma medical director of Providence Mission Hospital. Two victims remained in critical condition Thursday and one was released from the hospital

Sitting on the county's mountainous eastern edge, Cook's Corner is considered to be one of the most famous biker bars and restaurants in Southern California. For decades, the bar has been a staple and special place for locals.

Don Wagner, the chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, called Cook's Corner a "family spot" and a "pillar of the community" where people would come together for live shows, charity events and other gatherings.

But on Wednesday night, as community members crowded the bar for its weekly spaghetti night, gunshots rang out and sent people running in fear.

"This is personal. I am one of those bikers. I am one of those people who understand how the county and the canyons are grieving. It is iconic, it is special," Todd Spitzer, the district attorney of Orange County, said Thursday.

"And nothing that happened last night is going to ruin either the canyon, its austerity, its prominence or Cook's Corner," Spitzer added. "We mourn the loss of life and we mourn the loss of yet another piece of everyday America that is Cook's Corner."

The shooting was the latest in over 460 mass shootings so far in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive tracker, making this year one of the most violent on record.

Here's what we know:

What happened at Cook's Corner?

Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene just after 7 p.m. after "multiple 911 calls of shots being fired," Undersheriff Jeff Hallock said Wednesday night. The deputies found an armed male suspect and a "deputy-involved shooting" occurred involving multiple deputies, Hallock said.

According to dozens of witness statements compiled by authorities, Barnes said the shooter entered Cook's Corner with two firearms and went directly to his estranged wife. He then fired at his wife, striking her once before shooting an individual who was sharing a meal with her.

"The suspect then started randomly shooting at patrons within Cook's Corner that progressed to the outside area," Barnes said during the Thursday afternoon update.

The shooter went outside to retrieve more guns from his vehicle and continued firing, Barnes added, killing a total of three people and wounding six others. Within minutes, deputies arrived and killed the shooter.

On Wednesday night, as word of the shooting spree spread, members of the Cook’s “family” sent frantic emails or made urgent cell phone calls, desperate to know if loved ones and friends were safe. Most were, having crawled out one of the bar’s five entrances to lie low, or flee up nearby hillsides to crouch under bushes.

"It was like a madhouse,” Betty Fruichantie, who was in the bar with a friend, told NBC4 Los Angeles.

Fruichantie said she saw the shooter's estranged wife Marie Snowling drop to the floor. With bullets flying by, Fruichantie ran and hid in a restroom with others.

“And when we came out, people were on the floor and people were like over people trying to help them, just holding their wounds," she said.

Debbie Johnson, vocalist for the local band M Street that was playing on the indoor stage, said people had been dancing and cleared the floor and were sitting down when the shooting happened.

“We launched into our next song and somewhere in the middle of it this man just walks in, doesn’t say a word, and just starts shooting,” she said.

Who was the suspected shooter?

Officials said Thursday that the deceased suspect is Snowling.

Ventura Police Department Cmdr. Mike Brown said Orange County authorities called the department to confirm the suspect had worked there, according to the Ventura County Star, part of the USA TODAY Network.

The man was a retired police sergeant with the Ventura County Police Department who worked there from July 1986 through February 2014, Brown told the newspaper. Brown said he could not verify the events in Orange County and could only provide the dates of employment.

According to Barnes, Snowling was a resident of Ohio and authorities believe he also had a second residence in the Camarillo area. At the time of the shooting, Barnes said Snowling owned four weapons, including three handguns and a shotgun.

A preliminary investigation revealed that Snowling traveled from Ohio to Southern California prior to the shooting. Barnes added that Snowling and his wife were undergoing divorce proceedings but it was not finalized.

"I think he came to the Southern California area and then traveled to Cook's Corner when he determined his wife would be there," Barnes said.

Edds told USA TODAY the district attorney’s office would have been responsible for prosecuting Snowling if he had survived; however, their investigation now centers on the use of deadly force by law enforcement.

During the update Thursday afternoon, Spitzer said he has found no evidence "at this point" that the police committed "any criminal activity or excessive use of force in any way whatsoever."

Authorities haven't said whether they are aware of Snowling's motive.

Who were the victims?

Six of the injured had gunshot wounds, and two people were in critical condition at hospitals as of Thursday afternoon, Takeuchi said. All were adults.

One of the victims killed in the shooting was a 67-year-old man from Irvine, California, according to Barnes. Other victims have not been officially identified but Barnes said a woman and a man were killed in the incident, one was with Snowling's wife and the other died after encountering the suspect in the back parking lot.

Marie Snowling, a beloved regular at both the Wednesday night $8 spaghetti dinner and Monday’s “open mic” night for area bands, was shot in the jaw and taken to the University of California at Irvine Medical Center, multiple news outlets reported.

She had filed for divorce from John Snowling on Dec. 21, according to records filed in Ventura County Superior Court. In early August, she requested a mandatory settlement conference, which is required before potential trial proceedings begin, court records said.

Kenneth Henjum, who is representing Marie Snowling in her divorce, told USA TODAY in an emailed statement that the thoughts and prayers of his entire office "are with the individuals and the families of this tragedy."

"The Snowling family is in shock at the events from last night and are requesting their privacy," his statement said. "We are awaiting further information from the medical professionals regarding Marie’s current condition."

John Snowling's attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Historic bar popular with bikers

Cook's Corner, on the rural edge of suburban Orange County, has been a fixture for motorcycle enthusiasts, who regularly gathered on Wednesday nights for a weekly spaghetti night and live music.

Cook’s, as it’s widely known, has hundreds of gleaming Harleys and other bikes parked out front on weekends, and riders in full leathers enjoying rounds of beer and shots of whiskey. The Cook's building was built in 1884 and later turned into a restaurant as it went through the Prohibition era.

When the alcohol could again freely flow, it became a bar and has been a gathering spot for bikers for decades.

Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been a patron, and in 2006 rode up to the bar on an Indian Chief motorcycle for a reception, the Orange County Register reported at the time.

Along with being a famed biker bar, Cook’s is also a neighborhood institution in this rapidly disappearing rural edge of suburban Orange County, where everyone truly does know your name if you've been there more than twice.

“Oh, it's my home,” said Danny Graham, an area resident who was not there on Wednesday night, but who knows Marie Snowling and others who were there. “It’s my family and my home. I guess it's the relationships I've built over the last 16 years or so, being there and sharing stories and life pains and struggles with each other.”

"We’ve experienced major earthquakes, forest fires, floods, recessions, and other disasters. We’ve gotten through all of them and came out stronger," the bar said on its website.

Contributing: The Ventura County Star; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cook's Corner bar: Retired police sergeant targeted estranged wife