A former Woolooware High School student has been caught in a mass shooting in California.
Tristan Appleby, who lives in the US, has told 9news that he witnessed the shooter open fire at Borderline Bar and Grill, covering his mates to protect them and telling them to get under the pool table.
The young footballer, 20, who is from Sutherland Shire, started studying at Moorpark College last year. He was inside the Southern California bar when Ian David Long began shooting.
He said it was terrifying, and also told the Leader the gunman entered the bar “silently, and started shooting.”
“I didn’t believe it was real when it was happening,” Mr Appleby told 9news.
“I was playing pool with my friends and we heard noises we thought were fireworks.
“I looked up and saw a man shooting.
Twelve people were killed when the 28-year-old gunman, a former navy officer, entered the venue overnight armed with a .45-calibre handgun.
Mr Appleby said he waited until the gunman had to reload, before he and his friends ran for their lives.
“I watched the gunman shoot multiple people who were lying on the ground,” he said.
“I watched him walk away from us and I was keeping an eye on him while I was lying under the table. As soon as I saw him start to reload, I told my friends to run out the back exit and we sprinted out.”
Authorities believe the gunman turned the gun on himself.
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