As more information about the mass shooting at Cook’s Corner biker bar in Orange County Wednesday night came out, it became evident that the shooting — in which three people were killed and another six injured — was carried out by former Ventura Police Department (VPD) Sergeant John Snowling.
But Snowling, who worked for the VPD from 1986 to 2014, had roots here in Santa Barbara county, and started his career in law enforcement shortly after graduating from Dos Pueblos High School and joining the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department as a reserve officer in 1982. Before then, he went through the Sheriff’s Explorer Program for young adults.
Snowling’s family moved from Quincy, Massachusetts, to Goleta in the early 70’s when his father, who worked for Raytheon, was transferred to California. According to Dos Pueblos High School records, he attended from 1979 to 1982, and upon graduation he enlisted with the Sheriff’s Office. Four years later he started with the VPD, eventually retiring as a sergeant nine years ago in 2014.