Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019 | 8:42 a.m.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The 12 people killed in a mass shooting and gunbattle at a Southern California country-western bar a year ago have been remembered in a public park memorial called The Healing Garden.
The garden was to be dedicated Thursday, the anniversary of the Borderline Bar & Grill shooting in Thousand Oaks, starting with a private ceremony for relatives of the dead, then an event for 248 survivors before the public opening at midafternoon.
Late on Nov. 7, 2018, a gunman entered the popular bar and killed 11 people.
Ventura County sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus was wounded by the gunman and then was accidentally killed by a California Highway Patrol officer during the ensuing gunbattle.
The gunman, 28-year-old Ian David Long, killed himself.
The garden , located in Conejo Creek North Park, surrounds a pond that has a fountain with 12 vertical water jets to honor those killed.
There are also 12 granite slab benches, and a paving stone for each survivor. Oaks screen the garden from the rest of the park.
The Borderline, a longtime institution in the city, has remained closed.
"Not a day goes by that we do not think about our friends and family who we have lost," said a note posted on its website Thursday. "This past year has been extremely difficult for all of us as a community, but together we have helped each other move forward and continue our healing process one day at a time."
On Wednesday, a stretch of the U.S. 101 freeway running through Thousand Oaks was dedicated as the "Ventura County Sheriff's Sergeant Ronald Lee Helus Memorial Highway."
