Stories of fear, terror and heroism are emerging from the southern California bar where a gunman opened fire Wednesday night.
Thirteen people were killed in the shooting in Thousand Oaks, Calif., including the gunman and the first police officer to respond to the scene.
鈥業 鈥� found kids everywhere鈥�
Sarah Silikula lives near the bar 鈥� close enough that she can hear its music. Late Wednesday night, she heard the music stop.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 hear any shots but I did hear the screaming,鈥� Silikula told 麻豆传媒 Channel on Thursday.
Silikula said she heard the sirens of emergency vehicles two or three minutes later, then received a call from her daughter warning her that there had been a shooting.
Her daughter said she hadn鈥檛 been at the bar, but a friend of hers had and was hiding in the bathroom. Silikula rushed outside to see what was happening.
鈥淚 came down and just found kids everywhere 鈥� hiding behind trees, behind bushes, behind cars, in shock, bleeding, carrying people who had been shot,鈥� she said.
鈥楬e was shooting everything鈥�
Kayla Simmons told CNN she was inside the bar with friends when she heard shots and saw smoke.
鈥淗e was shooting everything from the speakers to anything,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e just tried to get down as fast as we could and get out of there.鈥�
Simmons said she heard the man firing 鈥�18 to 20 rounds at a time.鈥�
鈥楬e knew what he was doing鈥�
Tayler Whitler said she was on the dance floor when she heard people yelling 鈥済et down.鈥� She said she saw the gunman reload his weapon before she escaped.
鈥淗e [reloaded] in about six seconds, which is really fast, so he knew what he was doing,鈥� she told reporters.
"The shots kept going and going and going." Terrifying accounts coming out of shooting at bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Multiple people are dead, including the shooter
鈥� Marcella Robertson (@Marcella_Rob)
鈥楾here鈥檚 a shooter in there!鈥�
College student Cole Knapp said he saw the gunman wearing a black hoodie as he opened fire.
Knapp said he tried to help other people in the bar take cover, then headed for the bar鈥檚 patio and jumped over a fence to safety.
He said he flagged down a nearby police officer and screamed 鈥淭here鈥檚 a shooter in there!鈥�
鈥楬e just started shooting鈥�
A man who was in the bar with his stepson told KABC-TV that the bar鈥檚 bouncer and cashier were both shot.
鈥淗e didn鈥檛 say anything at all. He just started shooting,鈥� the man said.
鈥淚 should have stayed until he changed his clip, but I was worried about my boy 鈥� but I should have stayed. I apologize to anybody who got hurt or passed.鈥�
Other witnesses described seeing and hearing people smashing windows with barstools to create escape routes from the bar.
With files from The Associated Press
