Tattooed ex-Marine who killed 12 people in country music bar massacre had PTSD, by Jennifer Smith.

The gunman who massacred 12 people at a country music bar in southern California on Wednesday night has been identified as an honorably discharged ex-Marine whose neighbors say he was plagued with PTSD and terrified his own mother.

Ian David Long, 28, opened fire on the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks at 11.20pm on Wednesday during its weekly College Country Night where students from nearby schools line dance and listen to music.

He threw smoke grenades to confuse the crowd and used a Glock .45 with an extended magazine to kill 11 people inside the bar. …

Survivors used bar stools to smash windows to climb out of and some hid beneath pool tables. One woman ran into the kitchen and was told by staff to climb a ladder into the attic.

Before SWAT teams entered the building, Long took his own life in an office inside. …

Long served in the Marines as a machine gunner for five years between 2008 and 2013, during which time he was decorated with 10 medals and toured Afghanistan.

The circumstances surrounding his departure are unclear but an unnamed US official told NPR he was ‘not a stellar marine’ and had been caught shoplifting in 2009 before he deployed. …

Blake Winnett, who claims to have shared an apartment with him in 2014 while he was a student there, told The New York Post that he was a ‘loner’ who danced alone in their garage.

At least he wasn’t killing for an ideology.

hat-tip Scott of the Pacific