THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) The gunman who killed 12 people at a country music bar in Southern California went on social media during the attack and posted about his mental state and whether people would believe he was sane, a law enforcement official said Friday.
Also, one of the possibilities investigators are looking into is whether gunman Ian David Long believed his former girlfriend would be at the bar, the official said.
Authorities have not determined a motive for Wednesdays night rampage at the Borderline Bar & Grill.
The official who was briefed on the investigation but not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity would not give additional details on what the 28-year-old former Marine posted on his Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Long, a former machine gunner who served in Afghanistan, opened fire with a handgun in the attack, then apparently killed himself as scores of police officers closed in.
As investigators worked to figure out what set him off, President Donald Trump blamed mental illness, describing the gunman as a very sick puppy who had a lot of problems.
Investigators have not commented on whether mental illness played a role in the rampage.
But neighbors reported hearing frequent loud fights between Ian David Long and his mother, one of them so extreme they called police in April, and authorities at the time worried that the 28-year-old Afghanistan war veteran might have post-traumatic stress disorder, though a mental health specialist concluded there were no grounds to have him involuntarily committed.
The dead included sheriffs Sgt. Ron Helus, a 29-year veteran nearing retirement who responded to reports of shots fired and was gunned down as he entered the bar. He and other first responders ran toward danger, Sheriff Geoff Dean said at a vigil Thursday evening, calling Helus a hero.
