Audio released of 911 calls made during Orange County mass shooting

TRABUCO CANYON, Calif. (KABC) -- WARNING: The audio in the media player above may be disturbing to some.

The audio of the 911 calls made in the moments after a gunman opened fire at a popular restaurant in Orange County, killing three people, has been released.

The audio, released Thursday, details the intense moments during the mass shooting at Cook's Corner in Trabuco Canyon on Aug. 23.

One of the first calls received was from a man whose friend had gotten shot.

Caller: "Yeah, my buddy just got shot. We're at Cook's Corner ... he can't breathe."

"Where'd he get shot at?" the operator asks. At this moment, you can hear gunshots in the distance.

"He's still shooting," said the caller.

"Who has the gun?" asked the operator.

"Some old man," the caller said.

"Okay, where is he at?"

"He was the bar. He came out shooting everybody," the caller said.

The operator then instructs the caller how to care for the patient who had been shot.

"Hold up, the guy is still shooting," said the caller. "Please hurry."

"We're on the way," said the operator.

A frightening scene

During another call, you can hear rapid gunfire in the distance for about 30 seconds before the caller starts to the operator.

"Can you see the shooter right now? Can you actually see him shooting right now?" asked the operator.

"Yeah, he's still shooting," said the caller. "He's been shooting since we got on the phone."

In this moment, you can hear someone yelling for help in the distance.

"Come get me please!"

The investigation

According to investigators, the shooting was carried out by 59-year-old former police sergeant John Snowling, who was killed by authorities that day. He had traveled from Ohio amid an ongoing dispute over divorcing his wife, Marie, in the run-up to the incident.

The shooting was reported just after 7 p.m. that night and deputies responded within minutes, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff Don Barnes said based on witness statements, Snowling walked into the bar with two firearms in his possession and went directly to Marie. He drew his weapon and fired on the woman, Barnes said. He then turned and fired on the person who was sharing the meal with his wife, authorities said.

The three victims have been identified as Tonya Clark, 49, of Scottsdale, Ariz., Glen Sprowl Jr., 53, of Stanton, and John Leehey, 67, of Irvine.

ABC News contributed to this report.