Sergeant killed by friendly fire




Sgt. Ron Helus

Sgt. Ron Helus

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

In the heat of a gun battle with shooter and ex-Marine Ian Long, Helus was hit by a single bullet fired from a California Highway Patrol officer’s rifle that pierced the sergeant’s vest and contacted his heart, ultimately causing his death, said Dr. Christopher Young, Ventura County medical examiner.

“Helus was struck five times by gunfire from the suspect. Both men quickly retreated and fired their rifles at the suspect,” Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said at the Dec. 7 conference. “Today, I’m deeply saddened to inform you that Sgt. Helus was also struck 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.”

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

“This news is extremely difficult for all of us to process and understand,” Ayub said. “Both Sgt. Helus and the CHP officer knowingly and willingly went into what can only be described as a combat situation, risking their own lives to save many others, and it is a fact many lives were saved that night,”

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, Ayub said, Helus and Barret, a nine-year CHP veteran, entered the bar to confront the shooter, coming under heavy fire “almost immediately.”

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

In light of the revelation, Ayub 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 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.

“Bad things happen in these situations, and it is always a concern for both citizens accidentally shot and officers shot by other officers.”

The TOPD officers at Borderline reacted to the news in a similar fashion, he said.

“I was struck by the compassion and empathy,” the chief said. “When we broke the news to our officers . . . the first words out of each of the officers were ‘that poor officer,’ and the Helus family has reacted that way too.”

L.D. Maples, chief of the CHP Coastal Division, said he had delivered the news to Barret the day before the press conference.

“He had no clue it was coming. It was a surprise to all of us,” Maples said. “He’s devastated.”

Maples said the officer is on voluntary leave.