Shooter debated sanity online during bar attack, official says

Associated Press

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.

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 Wednesday night’s rampage at the Borderline Bar and Grill.

The official was briefed on the investigation but not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The official would not give additional details on what the 28-year-old former Marine posted on his Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Neither Facebook nor Instagram responded to a request to comment Friday.

Long, a former machine gunner who served in Afghanistan, opened fire with a handgun during college night at the bar, then apparently killed himself as scores of police officers closed in.