Thirteen people were killed by an attacker at a California bar on Wednesday night, and the first description of the attacker has emerged.

ABC 7’s Jory Rand tweeted early Thursday morning that a witness at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks “Described (the) shooter as middle eastern looking with a beard.”

https://twitter.com/abc7jory/status/1060446535459041282?s=11

The reporter says he “spoke with a man who was at the front door of the bar when the shooter began firing,” and the attacker shot the guard at the door before advancing inside and “continued firing.”

Rand also reports a sheriff’s deputy was also killed.

Via CBS 2:

Ron Helus, a Ventura County sheriff’s sergeant, was killed in a mass shooting in Thousand Oaks late Wednesday night. He was a 29-year veteran of the force looking to retire within the next year. Thirteen people were killed in a shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, including the shooter and Helus.

Minutes after the shooting was first reported at 11:20 p.m. Wednesday, Helus was the first to enter the bar and was struck several times by gunfire, according to Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean. A California Highway Patrol officer who was entering with him retreated, secured the perimeter, then pulled Helus out of the line of fire.

Helus, who lived in neighboring Moorpark with his wife and son, died at about 2 a.m. at a hospital. He was a 29-year veteran of the department and was considering retiring this year.

“Impossible to put any logic or sense to the senseless,” Dean said during a news conference.

UPDATE: The evidence appears to conflict with Rand’s report. The UK Metro identifies the alleged killer as 28-year-old Ian David Long.