Band members injured in Cook's Corner mass shooting out of the hospital, recovering at home

KABC logo
Monday, August 28, 2023
Victim in Trabuco Canyon shooting tried to confront gunman
We're learning more about the victims of the mass shooting at Cook's Corner

TRABUCO CANYON, Calif. (KABC) -- The band members who were injured in last week's deadly shooting at Cook's Corner bar in Trabuco Canyon are out of the hospital and recovering at home.



Dave Stretch and Ed Means, members of the M Street Band that was performing when the shooting broke out, posted an update Saturday on Instagram, with a photo showing them smiling with loved ones next to a table containing food and get-well cards and flowers.



"First M St get-together since Cook's Corner felt so good," they wrote. "Such a wonderful outpouring of support from all our friends with flowers, food, cards, and well wishes. We are so grateful to you all!"



The shooting took place Wednesday evening at the famed biker bar in the 19100 block of Santiago Canyon Road. Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said Thursday the gunman -- 59-year-old retired Ventura Police Department Sgt. John Snowling -- entered the bar carrying two handguns and walked directly to his estranged wife, Marie, and shot her once.



Marie Snowling's family said she was shot in the jaw but survived.



The gunman then shot the woman with whom his wife was dining, 49-year-old Tonya Clark of Scottsdale, Arizona. Clark managed to run outside the bar, where she died.



Also killed were Glen Sprowl Jr., 53, of Stanton, and John Leehey, 67, of Irvine.



GoFundMe accounts have been established to help the families of Sprowl and Clark.



John Leehey, 67, of Irvine; Tonya Clark, 49, of Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Glen Sprowl Jr., 53, of Stanton, were killed in the shooting at Cook's Corner in Trabuco Canyon.


John Snowling was shot and killed by sheriff's deputies.



Two of the injured victims remain in critical condition: Marie Snowling, who was transferred to UCI Medical Center in Orange from Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, and an unidentified man who was shot in the chest.



Another victim, a male cook at the restaurant, was shot in an arm, witnesses said.



Bass player Dave Stretch was wounded in the hip and is now home recovering. His bandmate was struck in the arm.



Stretch says it was a surreal scene when Snowling walked in and it took the musician some time to comprehend what was happening as he continued to play bass on stage.



Then the horror set in. And he felt the bullet.



Bass player Dave Stretch, who was struck by gunfire in the Orange County mass shooting, describes how events unfolded that night.


"I'm starting to look at the room and I feel like somebody punches me in the hip," Stretch said. "And I knew exactly at that moment what had happened, like full-on what this was."



There was confusion and terror in the bar. He first ran outside, but at one point heard gunfire out there, so he ran back inside the bar and hid. At one point, he recalled, he picked up a barstool thinking he would attack the shooter if he came back inside.



"This whole thing is like, the whole array of emotions you could possibly feel. From horror to love to appreciation, to respect."



A prayer gathering on Friday night -- including a procession of motorcyclists -- brought people together to mourn the three victims at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest. The event, attended by members of Leehey's family and others impacted by the tragedy, was also live-streamed on the church's social media channels.



"This tragedy has left many friends and family members devastated, and many more members of the community shocked and dismayed," church pastor Andy Wood said. "This is a time we can come together and ask God for comfort and healing."



Orange County leaders said that while Cook's Corner is known as a biker bar, it is really a regular gathering place for families and the community, particularly during its weekly Wednesday night $8 spaghetti dinner special, which was occurring when the shooting erupted.



"It's a gathering place," Barnes said. "It's a place for families to go to share a meal. It's a tight-knit community."



Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer added, "This is personal. I am one of those bikers. I am one of those people that would often go on Wednesday nights for spaghetti night... It is iconic, it is special. And nothing that happened last night is going to ruin either the canyon, its austerity, its prominence or Cook's Corner."



Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement Thursday lamenting the shooting, while also urging the public to take advantage of "red-flag" laws that can lead to seizure of weapons from people who might be considered a threat to themselves or others.



City News Service contributed to this report.



Copyright © 2024 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.