Borderline hero killed by friendly fire


By Kyle Jorrey and Becca Whitnall

tonewstip@theacorn.com, becca@theacorn.com

Borderline hero Sgt. Ron Helus was killed by friendly fire, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said Friday at a press conference in Thousand Oaks.

In the heat of a gun battle with shooter Ian David Long, Helus was struck by a single bullet fired from a California Highway Patrol officer’s rifle that pierced his vest and hit his heart, ultimately causing his death, Ventura County Medical Examiner Dr. Christopher Young said.

Prior to the shot, Helus was hit five times by bullets fired by Long’s Glock .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, but those wounds may have been survivable, Young said. The bullet to the heart was not.

Helus and CHP officers Todd Barret and Lidia Espinoza were the first to arrive on scene at Borderline, just minutes after the shooting began around 11:20 p.m. Nov. 7. As screaming bar patrons spilled into the street, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said at today’s press conference, Helus and Barret entered the bar to confront the shooter, at which point they came under heavy fire “almost immediately.”

“Helus was struck five times by gunfire from the suspect, both men quickly retreated and fired their rifles at the suspect,” Ayub said. “Today, I’m deeply saddened to inform you that Sgt. Helus was also stuck by a sixth bullet, which we now know through forensic analysis by the FBI’s crime laboratory was fired from the CHP officer’s rifle.”

Courtesy of Ventura County Sheriff's Office

Sgt. Ron Helus

“This was a dynamic, chaotic event that led to a very brief but furious gun battle between the killer and the lawmen,” Ayub continued. “We believe that Sgt. Helus was clearly not the intended target of the CHP officer.”

The new sheriff, who took over just days after the shooting, said the news from the FBI has been “extremely difficult” for the department to process. He said his officers continue to support Helus’ widow, Karen, and son, Jordan, as well as the family, friends and colleagues of Barret.

Ayub said one person and one person alone was responsible for the 12 dead the night of the shooting: Ian David Long.

“It is important to remember the horrific circumstances at the Borderline Bar and Grill on that Wednesday night exactly one month ago today were caused by the evil actions of one individual who murdered 12 people and injured 22 others,” Ayub said. “He alone created the violence and he alone bears the responsibility for his course of action.”

Thousand Oaks Police Chief Tim Hagel said the newly released facts don’t alter how he and the department view the tragedy.

“I think I can speak for all of our officers and for the Helus family and say once you are over the shock of hearing the news and you have a moment of clarity, you realize what the sheriff said here: It doesn’t change the fact that he shot Ron five times in an ambush,” Hagel told the Acorn.

Accidents with friendly fire are a risk that comes with the job, Hagel said.

“Imagine the scene of pure darkness, smoke bombs and rapid chaos of an ambush going on . . . and occurring in seconds,” Hagel said. “Bad things happen in these situations and it is always a concern for both citizens accidentally shot and officers shot by other officers.”

Without fail, the TOPD officers at the Borderline reacted to news in the similar fashion, he said.

“I was struck by the compassion and empathy,” the chief said. “When we broke the news to our officers, without a script, literally the first words out of each of the officers were ‘that poor officer,’ and the Helus family has reacted that way too.”

Ayub finished his prepared statement at the conference by saying that the fact Helus was shot by friendly fire in no way diminishes the heroic actions Helus and Barret exhibited that night.