The death toll from a shooting at a Southern California bar might have been higher than 12 if not for a veteran police officer and two college-age men.
Cole Knapp, a Moorpark College freshman, and 20-year-old Matt Wennerstrom were having fun at Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks when a man sprayed the bar with gunfire Wednesday night.
In the chaotic moments that followed, they became heroes.
When Wennerstrom saw the gunman, he pulled others under a pool table. When the man paused to reload, he and others smashed a window with barstools and shoved people through.
Knapp led others to an outdoor patio and over a fence to safety.
Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus died in an exchange of gunfire. Authorities say that confrontation gave others time to escape.
