More than two years after a retired police officer shot up Cook’s Corner, Orange County prosecutors concluded Tuesday that deputies were justified in killing the gunman during a wild shootout.
The report by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office gives a detailed, moment-by-moment breakdown of the gunbattle that left assailant John Patrick Snowling dead after he shot nine people, killing three, on Aug. 23, 2023.
Said Deputy Mathew Harm to investigators: “I could hear the, the sounds of rounds flying past me and the, the cracks of gunfire in the air.”
The report, based partly on sheriff’s body camera and dash camera videos, is heavily redacted and excludes the names of victims. But their identities can be gleaned from past news accounts. Snowling, 60, a retired Ventura Police Department officer, had gone to the popular biker bar that night looking for his estranged wife, Marie. Snowling carried a revolver in his right hand and a semiautomatic handgun in his left.
According to the report, Snowling had earlier told Marie Snowling that she would be dead within a year from a heart attack because he was going to “fight her on everything and stress her out.” She had no clue that he would come to the bar with an “evil look on his face,” take a shooting stance 3 to 4 feet in front of her and fire a round into her jaw. Marie Snowling survived her injury.
The report said John Snowling moved through the restaurant, firing his guns, sometimes both at once, and then exited. Outside, he shot at a truck and found a woman hiding inside. She begged him not to kill her because she was five months pregnant.
“Snowling did not shoot at her again and told her to ‘go, go,’ pointing in the direction of the restaurant. She followed his orders and ran towards Cook’s Corner,” the report said.
Deputies Brandon Saunders, Christian Moreno, Brandon Espinosa, Daniel Serrano, Mathew Harm, Jesus Carrasco and Juan Contreras responded to the 911 calls and engaged with Snowling, according to the report. Carrasco was the first deputy to arrive at the scene.
The deputies took cover behind the open doors of their patrol cars, firing back as Snowling shot at them with a shotgun he had retrieved from his truck.
“I was in fear for my life. I realized how close I was to getting shot,” Espinosa told DA investigators.
Deputy Serrano added: “There were already victims that were being, that had been shot, uh, I was scared for, uh, obviously myself. That -. It’s -. This is the first time I’ve ever been in an (officer-involved-shooting). So, the fact that I heard the shots and that I saw him there, I think he was shooting at us, and my partners and that’s why I engaged with my rifle.”
Although Snowling was hiding behind a tree, deputies were able to fatally shoot him when he emerged to fire his weapon, the report said. Deputy Lopez removed a loaded Beretta 950B, .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol from Snowling’s back pants pocket, the report said.
“Snowling refused to comply with Deputy Contreras’ order to drop his guns and stop shooting at the deputies. Snowling was a lethal threat to the deputies and the civilians in the area,” the report concluded. “Deputies Saunders, Moreno, Espinosa, Serrano, Harm, Carrasco, and Contreras were justified when they shot at Snowling and carried out their duties as peace officers in a reasonable and justifiable manner.”