Bar shooting injures 11

Bar shooting injures 11
By Jannise Johnson, Staff Writer
Article Created: 09/06/2008 12:04:40 AM PDT


MIRA LOMA - Eleven people were injured during a shooting at a bar early Friday morning.
Riverside County Sheriff's deputies responded to calls of a shooting at 1:12 a.m. at the Los Copas Bar at 5190 Etiwanda Ave., authorities said.

By the time deputies arrived, the shooter had left the area, according to a Riverside County Sheriff's news release.

The shooting occurred after five men were removed from the bar for creating a disturbance. One of the men promised retribution and returned about 30 minutes later with a shotgun. He shot at security personnel and customers and struck 11 people with birdshot, authorities said.

One of the security guards was armed and returned fire, according to the release.

All of the people injured are expected to survive.

According to information from the Riverside County Fire Department, firefighters took two patients to a hospital with moderate injuries.

Eight more people were taken to the hospital suffering minor injuries, according to a Fire Department news release.

There was no information available about the 11th person injured during the incident.

By Friday afternoon, investigators had not yet identified a suspect, and the security guard has not been arrested, said deputy Herlinda Valenzuela.

"It appears that he acted in good faith in accordance with his qualifications, and he will not face any charges," she said.

A woman who works as a supervisor at the bar described the incident as completely out of the ordinary for the business. The employee did not wish to give her name.
Through a translator, she said the clientele there don't usually stay and party for several hours. They are regulars who have one or two drinks before they leave, she explained.

She pointed out the marks from the birdshot on a wall just inside the entrance and near the door.

The owner of the bar was not immediately available for comment.

The suspect is described as a fair-skinned man about age 35. He has brown eyes with short black hair, stands 6 feet tall, weighs 240 pounds with a muscular build.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department is asking anyone with information on this incident to call Investigator Mike Portillo, Jurupa Station Investigations Bureau at (951) 955-2600.

jannise.johnson@inlandnewspapers.com

(909) 483-9318