Retired Police Sergeant Who Killed 3 at California Bar Shot His Estranged Wife First, Officials Say

The Orange County aheriff's mobile command post uses the parking lot at Saddleback Church as as staging area in Lake Forest, after a shooting at Cook's Corner in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., on Aug. 23, 2023. Leonard Ortiz/The Orange County Register via AP

TRABUCO CANYON, Calif.—The retired police sergeant who opened fire during a lively Wednesday evening at a popular Southern California biker bar had traveled from Ohio to confront his estranged wife, shooting her in the face before turning his gun on the crowd, authorities said.

John Snowling killed three people, including his wife’s dining companion and a man who approached him as Mr. Snowling retrieved additional guns from his truck, and wounded six others, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said Thursday. He was fatally shot by deputies within minutes of the rampage.