Three killed in California bikers' bar shooting, shooter was former policeman

Six more people were in hospital after a retired law enforcement officer opened fire at the bar, the report added.

 Laguna Beach, the second oldest city in Orange County, California (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Laguna Beach, the second oldest city in Orange County, California
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Three people were killed after a gunman opened fire late Wednesday at a bikers' bar in California's Orange County, and the shooter was killed by authorities, the local sheriff's office said.

Six other people were hospitalized, five of them with gunshot wounds, after the incident at the Cook's Corner bar in Trabuco Canyon, the Orange County Sheriff said in a post on X.

The county's fire department said two people were in critical condition, according to a news briefing.

CBS Los Angeles, which first reported the shooting, initially said five people were killed. Citing KCAL News, CBS said the incident started as a domestic dispute between a retired law enforcement officer and his wife.

The Sheriff's office did not provide additional details about the incident to Reuters, but said they were investigating the possibility of the gunman being a retired officer.

Shooter shot by police force

The California governor's office said it was monitoring the shooting.

Authorities received reports of a shooting at 7:04 p.m. local time. By 7:08, the gunman was shot and at least one weapon was recovered at the scene.