Twelve people were killed in a shooting at the bar in November 2018. Video broadcast Thursday Jan. 21, 2021 on Today in LA.
The Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, a site of tragedy that also became a place to grieve and remember, faces possible demolition.
More than two years after a gunman opened fire in the beloved bar during a county music dance night, killing 12 people, the fixture of the Thousand Oaks community may soon only be a memory.
The city confirmed to NBCLA that it is working with the property owner on several options, including demolition.
NBC Bay Area
Victims of the Borderline Bar shooting in Thousand Oaks, Nov. 7, 2018.
CSNPhilly.com
Sgt. Ronald Lee Helus was killed while responding to the Borderline Bar & Grill mass shooting that left 12 victims dead Nov. 7, 2018.nFamilies were frantically searching for those unaccounted for as the identities of victims emerged in the aftermath of the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting Wednesday evening in Ventura County, the deadliest mass shooting since Parkland. n nA 29-year veteran of law enforcement pictured above who ran toward the danger when dispatched to the mass shooting, as well as a 22-year-old son awaiting the birth of his baby sister, were confirmed to have been killed in the tragedy.n nTwelve victims in all were killed in the shooting. n nLearn more about the victims below.n
Helus Family
The sergeant received a call from his wife before responding to the mass shooting at Borderline Bar in Thousand Oaks. He told her he needed to respond to a call, and would see her later. He was killed in the mass shooting.
Ventura County Sheriff's Department
He was a 29-year law enforcement veteran. Ventura County Sheriff's Department officials said they weren't surprised to hear he ran toward the danger.
Orfanos Family
Telemachus Orfanos, a Navy veteran who survived the Route 91 massacre in Las Vegas, was killed in the mass shooting at Borderline Bar, his father told NBC4.
Daniel, a military veteran, spent his life helping veterans, as a member of Team Red White Blue. He was at Borderline meeting other members of the group. He had no wife or children. "Daniel was such a go-getter. He was absolutely loved."
Coffman Family
"Cody was the big brother that my kids need. I have a daughter coming on the 29th of this month. He was so excited to have his first sister," Jason Coffman, the father of Cody Coffman, 22, said. He announced Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, that his son was slain in the mass shooting at Borderline Bar in Thousand Oaks the night before.
Courtesy of Facebook
Courtesy of Facebook
Eighteen-year-old Pepperdine freshman Alaina Housley, the niece of actress Tamera Mowry-Housley, was killed in Borderline Bar mass shooting last night, her family confirmed. Housley's uncle, former Fox News correspondent Adam Housley and the actress were pleading with the public to help find the 18-year-old before they learned of her death.
Courtesy of Facebook
Justin Meek, a 23-year-old Cal Lutheran University graduate and former San Diego resident, was slain in the Borderline Bar mass shooting Nov. 7, 2018.nn
Adler Family
Sean Adler was a husband the father of two boys. He owned a local coffee shop and was working at the Borderline Bar & Grill Nov. 7, 2018 when he was killed by a gunman along with 11 others. "From what I understand, Sean tried to disarm the guy. That is typical of Sean. He was a protector, always sticking up for people. He was a caring, compassionate individual," his sister Valarie Adler told NBC4.
Blake Dingman was slain in the Borderline Bar shooting Wednesday evening, Nov. 7, 2018.
KECI
Jake Dunham was slain in the Borderline Bar shooting Wednesday evening, Nov. 7, 2018. His father Jeff Dunham was searching for him at 2 a.m. before the news had emerged of his death.
Courtesy Sparks Family
Twenty-one-year-old Noel Sparks studied at Moorpark College. Her death was confirmed by her church, the United Methodist Church Westlake Village.
KMGH via AP
Kristina Kaylee Morisette attended Simi Valley High School, and was from Simi Valley. She loved country music. Her cousin confirmed to NBC that she was killed in the shooting.
Mark Meza Jr. was confirmed to be the twelfth victim slain in the mass shooting. He was a Santa Barbara native who was an alum of the Carpinteria Unified School District, NBC affiliate KSBY learned. He had been working at Borderline Bar the night of the shooting.
Owner Brian Brian Hynes said his lease expired last month. He said even if the shooting had never happened, it’s likely the business would not have made it through the coronavirus pandemic.
In the agonizing aftermath of the Nov. 7, 2018 shooting, the bar become a memorial site for family members of those killed and the community. Flowers, pictures, crosses, cards and other items were left outside the building in memory of the victims.
Some family members picked up some of those items earlier this week.
“It’s like another big loss,” said Wendy Anderson, mother of Noel Sparks, who was killed in the Nov. 7, 2018 shooting. “I mean, this is where everything is. This is where the families, the children, the community — it’s part of us.”
Thousand Oaks’ mayor said the city is communicating with the property owner, who had not submitted a permit for demolition.
Those killed included Sgt. Ron Helus, a nearly 30-year veteran of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department who responded to the gunfire. Many of the victims were college students, young people embarking on a new chapter in their lives.
A view of the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, November 8, 2018.
In addition to the memorial items outside the Borderline, the community created a healing garden to remember those killed.
The bar has not reopened at the original location, but its owners have opened a new location in Agoura Hills. The bar opened in January 2020 with 12 barstools in honor of each person killed in the shooting -- Sean Adler; Cody Coffman; Blake Dingman; Jacob Dunham; Ron Helus; Alaina Housley; Dan Manrique; Justin Meek; Mark Meza Jr.; Kristina Morisette; Telemachus Orfanos; Noel Sparks.
Toni Guinyard/NBCLA
A view of the memorial outside the Borderline Bar & Grill one year after a shooting during a country music night left 12 victims dead.
Toni Guinyard/NBCLA
A woman visits a memorial outside the Borderline Bar & Grill one year after a shooting during a country music night left 12 victims dead.
Toni Guinyard/NBCLA
Crosses with photos and personal items are seen outside the Borderline Bar & Grill one year after a shooting during a country music night left 12 victims dead.
Toni Guinyard/NBCLA
A view of the memorial outside the Borderline Bar & Grill one year after a shooting during a country music night left 12 victims dead.
Toni Guinyard/NBCLA
A view of the memorial outside the Borderline Bar & Grill one year after a shooting during a country music night left 12 victims dead.
Toni Guinyard/NBCLA
A view of the memorial outside the Borderline Bar & Grill one year after a shooting during a country music night left 12 victims dead.
Aliya Jasmine/NBCLA
A view of the memorial outside the Borderline Bar & Grill one year after a shooting during a country music night left 12 victims dead. The oak trees were planted to symbolize strength and deep roots.
Alija Jasmine/NBCLA
A group of women visit a memorial at the Borderline Bar & Grill, where a shooting left 13 people dead, including the gunman.
Alija Jasmine/NBCLA
A group of women visit a memorial at the Borderline Bar & Grill, where a shooting left 13 people dead, including the gunman.
Alija Jasmine/NBCLA
A sign outside the Borderline Bar & Grill remembers those who were killed in a shooting there one year ago.
Alija Jasmine/NBCLA
A woman and her children kneel at the Borderline Bar & Grill memorial, which was established in honor of the 12 killed during the shooting there last year.
Alija Jasmine/NBCLA
A woman and her daughter visit the memorial outside the Borderline Bar & Grill, where a gunman killed 12 people last year.
Alija Jasmine/NBCLA
A woman and her daughter visit the memorial outside the Borderline Bar & Grill, where a gunman killed 12 people last year.
Alija Jasmine/NBCLA
A woman and her children visit a line of signs outside the Borderline Bar & Grill, each of which bears the name and picture of one of the 12 people killed in the shooting last year.
