Cook's Corner

4 People Dead in Mass Shooting at Oldest Southern California Biker Bar | Eater LA

"Set in Trabuco Canyon in rural eastern Orange County, I found Cook’s Corner described as a family-friendly biker bar and restaurant with deep roots: it began as a roadside burger stand in 1931, became a bar after Prohibition ended in 1933, and started serving food as a tavern in 1946 when owner Earl Jack “E.J.” Cook hauled a mess hall up from the Santa Ana Army base. The place claims to be Southern California’s oldest biker bar and, beginning in the 1970s, drew motorcyclists of all stripes — including gang affiliates, law enforcement, and retirees — and has hosted community events such as weddings, charity events, and funerals. On the evening of August 23, what had been a typical scene of families eating plates of spaghetti and salad on the patio while the M Street rock band waited to start turned tragic when retired Ventura Police Department sergeant John Snowling opened fire in an apparent attempt to target his estranged wife; law enforcement responded within minutes, a confrontation led to the shooter’s death, and overall four people were killed (including the shooter) and six were injured, with two in critical condition and four stable at Providence Mission Hospital — Marie Snowling was among the injured. Longtime patron Gus Gunderman, who has frequented the establishment for four decades, said he’d never felt unsafe there and that “this could have happened anywhere.” There was no word on when Cook’s Corner would reopen." - Matthew Kang