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ORANGE COUNTY
Scottsdale woman dies in mass shooting at California biker bar
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Flower bouquets are left in memory of the shooting victims on top of a water pipe as law enforcement personnel stage at the scene of a mass shooting at Cook's Corner, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, in Trabuco Canyon, Calif.
Posted
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A 49-year-old Scottsdale woman died when a retired police sergeant opened fire Wednesday at a popular Southern California biker bar.
Tonya Clark and two others were killed in the shooting Aug. 23 at Cook’s Corner bar in Trabuco Canyon, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities said John Snowling killed the three people, including a man who approached him as Snowling retrieved additional guns from his truck, and wounded six others
He was fatally shot by deputies within minutes of the rampage.
"We stand in mourning alongside the family and friends of Tonya, John (Leehay) and Glen (Sprowl Jr)," the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
"They were tragically killed Wednesday in a shooting at Cook’s Corner in Trabuco Canyon. Please join us in wishing all who knew and loved them comfort during this extremely difficult time."
The shooting unfolded as a cover band entertained guests during the bar’s popular weekly spaghetti night. Snowling entered the bar, walked up to Marie Snowling, his wife, and immediately shot her without saying a word, authorities said.
Some patrons froze and others ran as bullets flew inside the bar before Snowling went out to the parking lot and continued to fire, witnesses and authorities said.
As the shooting began, M Street band keyboardist Mark Johnson hid behind a speaker with his wife, singer Debbie Johnson.
“Once he started shooting, it was very indiscriminate,” Mark Johnson said.
Snowling, 59, was a retired police sergeant with the Ventura Police Department in Southern California. His wife had filed for divorce in December 2022, citing irreconcilable differences.
The proceedings were ongoing and the case was scheduled for a mandatory settlement conference in November.
Married for more than three decades, they have two adult children.
