12 victims of Borderline mass shooting remembered on third anniversary of tragedy

On the third anniversary of their deaths, the 12 victims of the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks were remembered at a solemn memorial program Sunday.

Their names were read aloud by relatives and others at the "Day of Remembrance" at Conejo Creek North Park. After each name, cantor David Shukiar of Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks sang: "And their memory will be a blessing."

Killed on the evening of Nov. 7, 2018, by a lone gunman were Sean Adler, 48; Cody Coffman, 22; Blake Dingman, 21; Jake Dunham, 21; Alaina Housley, 18; Daniel Manrique, 33; Justin Meek, 23; Mark Meza, 20; Kristina Morisette, 20; Telemachus Orfanos, 27; and Noel Sparks, 21.

The 12th victim, Ventura County Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus, 54, was killed by friendly fire from a California Highway Patrol officer as they went into the Borderline Bar & Grill, a popular country music dance club, to confront the shooter.

The reading of the names was followed by a moment of silence. Many in the audience of several hundred people bowed their heads, some with tears in their eyes.

The program was hosted by the Conejo Valley Interfaith Association in collaboration with the city of Thousand Oaks and two nonprofits, the Borderline Strong foundation and Give an Hour.

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They heard remarks from a mobile stage by Thousand Oaks Mayor Claudia Bill-de la Peña, the Rev. George Daisa, of St. Patrick's Episcopal Church in Thousand Oaks, and Sparks' mother, Wendy Anderson, as well as music, a poem, a blessing and more.

"We thank you for being here and to remember the Borderline 12," Bill-de la Peña said in opening remarks. "And to celebrate their lives they just started. Lives full of hope, dreams and promise.

"For there is nothing that will make our community forget Nov. 7 and the Borderline 12," she said.

Daisa told the audience that remembering the 12 victims is "critically important and we will never forget them.

"But remembering alone is not enough," he said. "We must act in love.... And through our acts of love, their memory will be a blessing for the world."

Brian Hynes, who owned the now-closed Borderline Bar & Grill, helped Anderson walk, with the assistance of a walker, to the lip of the stage for some brief comments.

"This a time for...us to repair our hearts (and) to heal our spirits," she said. "... Now is the time to move forward and restore our lives, our hearts and our community with faith, love and restoration."

Hynes didn't speak at the program, but in an interview said he felt fortunate to be able to attend the event, given the liver transplant surgery he underwent earlier this year.

"To be physically here and to be part of it means a lot to me," he said. "There are so many more hugs and smiles, as opposed to two years ago and last year with everybody being locked out because of COVID.

"It's really great to see everybody in an open park on a beautiful day," he said.

Other features of the program included a song sung by Alex Nester called "Still Standing," a poem, "My Road is Wide Enough," read by Rabbi Barry Diamond of Temple Adat Elohim and a blessing by Pastor Kirk DeWitt of Conejo Church.

The audience also heard a "Psalm of Loss" read by Amelia Daisa, of St. Patrick's Episcopal Church's youth group, and music by Temple Adat Elohim's Band of Milk and Honey, led by Shukiar.

Following the 45-minute program, at Bill-de la Peña's invitation, audience members walked the short distance to the city's Healing Garden, which honors the victims and survivors of the shooting. It opened a year after the tragedy.

There, they placed small red heart stickers on the edges of large mounted photographs of the 12 victims as a symbol of their commitment to support organizations that were important to the deceased. The organizations were listed on statements from the victims' families that accompanied the photos.

"Let's call it the 'Commit to Action' campaign," the mayor said.

An investigation into the mass shooting concluded that the gunman was motivated by "a strong disdain for civilians," particularly college students, according to a Ventura County Sheriff's Office report released in July.

The 28-year-old gunman, a former U.S. Marine, likely targeted the Borderline, knowing it was themed "Country College Night" and would likely be filled with college students, detectives concluded in their report.

The gunman killed himself with a shot to the head.

The Borderline has been closed ever since the shooting, with no plans to reopen it.

Mike Harris covers the East County cities of Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, as well as transportation countywide. You can contact him at mike.harris@vcstar.com or 805-437-0323.

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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Victims of Borderline mass shooting remembered on third anniversary