A witness who was seated next to the wife of the gunman who killed three people and wounded five others in a mass shooting at a California biker bar recalled the terrifying moment she saw the man shoot at her friend.
Betty Fruichantie told NBC Los Angeles she went to the Cook’s Corner bar with her friend Marie, the estranged wife of the gunman, on Wednesday. The two were seated near a stage watching a performance from a cover band when gunfire erupted shortly after 7 p.m.
“We were sitting there listening to the band and all of sudden, from behind us, we hear shooting. A bunch of shooting,” Fruichantie said. “I thought it was just firecrackers, she didn’t say anything. People were getting shot. People were getting shot.”
Fruichantie said the gunman then made his way toward them and began shooting at them.
“There were other people who didn’t believe it,” she said. “They were just standing there like me, but a lot of people were running, though. When I saw people running, I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I got shot at and I didn’t die. I better run now before I get killed.’”
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According to the witness, she said her friend dropped to the floor. It was unclear to her if the woman was struck or if she was ducking from the bullets.
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After her initial shock, Fruichantie was able to run to a bathroom and hide there with two others. That’s when she heard even more gunshots.
“When we came out, people were on the floor,” the witness said. “People were over people trying to help them just holding their wounds. It was just awful.”
According to Fruichantie, her friend had filed for divorce from the gunman and was staying with friends. He was unhappy with the estrangement, which is why he targeted his wife in the shooting, she said.
The gunman, who has yet to be identified, was a former law enforcement officer, three law enforcement sources familiar with the case told NBC News’ Andrew Blankstein.
The gunman was dead four minutes after the first report of the shooting came in to authorities, who arrived on scene within two minutes and engaged in gunfire with the shooter, Orange County Sheriff’s Sgt. Frank Gonzalez said.
Orange County Undersheriff Jeff Hallock did not provide details about the gunman in a Wednesday news conference hours after the shooting, saying authorities were still gathering information from the scene and interviewing witnesses.
Four people, including the shooter, were pronounced dead on scene.
Six others were taken to the hospital. Two were in critical condition, Providence Mission Hospital, a trauma center in Mission Viejo, said in a statement.
The investigation is ongoing.
