Cook's Corner: 1 year after mass shooting, the first deputies on the scene share their stories

TRABUCO CANYON, Calif. - On Aug. 23, 2023, a retired police Sergeant opened fire at Cook's Corner, a biker bar in Trabuco Canyon, killing three people and injuring six others. Orange County deputies got to the bar quickly that night, getting into a lengthy firefight with the shooter, eventually putting him down. 

On the one-year anniversary of the deadly attack, the bar is holding a candlelight vigil for the victims, and the deputies who rushed to the scene are sharing their memories of that day.

As John Snowling, a former Ventura Police Department officer, walked into Cook's Corner on that Spaghetti Night, and started firing toward his estranged wife, customers were sent running. Not long after that, three Orange County Sheriff's Deputies were the first on the scene. 

"It was a blur," said Deputy Jesse Carrasco. "What I remember most is feeling comfortable, knowing that I had my partners with me. That we were all trained up for situations similar and that we could accomplish the goal at the end of the day, which was to stop him."

Snowling was firing at them from nearly 60 yards away, from behind a tree.

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"One of my partners initially saw him," Carrasco said. "He pointed out where he was. I saw him. We exchanged fire, and then from there it was [about a] five-to-seven-minute-long gun battle."

Before deputies got to the bar, Snowling had already killed three people — Tonya Clark, John Leehey and Glen Sprowl Jr. — and hurt six others. But, it could have been much worse if not for the deputies' quick response.

Carrasco, along with deputies Juan Contreras and Brandon Espinosa, normally assigned to Mission Viejo miles away, were at a nearby gas station when the shooting broke out, and were able to respond in just two minutes. 

"I can remember the whole day as if it was yesterday," said Contreras. "We got there, we were approached by a civilian who came out of cover, let us know that there was a shooter who was in the back parking lot next to a vehicle with the doors open."

Carrasco was armed with his rifle, Contreras and Espinosa both with their handguns, against Snowling who had three handguns and a shotgun, as well as the training of a former police officer.

"We do a lot of training," said Contreras. "Active shooter, stuff like that. It kind of just kicks in. From my mentality, it was, we had a job to do. We had a goal to accomplish, and we just did our job."

"It's everything you could think of," Espinosa said. "Everything from using our weapons properly, to communication to exit plans, to getting a suspect down and caring for victims."

By the end of the lengthy firefight, Snowling was also killed. Seven deputies had fired at least 75 shots. 

Contreras said he and his colleagues "did the best job we could" that night, but still wishes for a better outcome.

"We lost three innocent lives that day," Contreras said. "I wish we could have saved more."