As news emerges of the Thousand Oaks massacre at the Borderline Bar and Grill late Wednesday night, November 7, Westworld actor Clifton Collins Jr. revealed that he was planning to attend the bar on the night that the shooting occurred.
According to Us Weekly , Clifton Collins Jr., the actor who plays the host called Lawrence in HBO’s Westworld , was invited to the Borderline Bar in California on the night of the massacre. However, the actor decided to decline the invitation, choosing to stay home instead. As a result of this, he avoided the devastating shooting that saw 12 people killed, including the shooter. The shooter, who has been identified as 29-year-old Ian David Long, was located, dead, in his car outside the venue.
Clifton Collins Jr. revealed his close call via his official Twitter account after details emerged about the Thousand Oaks shooting.
“Getting shot at in the hood is 1 thing, it’s driven by poverty, I can understand that,” Collins’ tweet said.
“But getting shot at in a club is another thing all together, am grateful for my friends @Porsche who kept me home last night instead of accepting invite to Borderline. Heart goes out to those [broken heart emoji]”
As previously reported by the Inquisitr , the Thousand Oaks shooting occurred on Wednesday night at approximately 11.20 p.m. The country music bar was hosting a “college night” at the time.
Besides the 12 deaths, many more victims were hospitalized after the tragic shooting. Upwards of 200 people had been present at the bar, thanks to the establishment’s event.
As a result of the shooting, celebrities — and the country music scene writ large — has responded via social media, according to USA Today .
Actress and singer Lucy Hale revealed how she and her friends had frequented the bar prior to the massacre.
So sad about the tragedy in Thousand Oaks. So many of my friends & I have frequented that bar . We live in a world where devastation like this can happen anywhere/anytime. I’m so sorry to the victims & everyone involved. And I’m so sorry pain like this occurs ?
— Lucy Hale (@lucyhale) November 8, 2018
The American country music singer-songwriter John Rich also spoke out about the horrific event.
Waking up in NYC to the terrible news in California that 12 were killed in a country bar last night. 1 officer killed in the line of duty as he ran toward the shooter to save lives. Join me in asking the Holy Spirit to pull those families close this morning. #Californiashooting
— John Rich?? (@johnrich) November 8, 2018
Charlie Daniels — who has been involved in the southern rock and bluegrass music scenes for some time — also commented on the shooting.
Another Blue Knight was lost last night. He died in the act of protecting and serving, as so many of his brothers and sisters have before him. Sgt. Ron Helus, you died saving lives There is no higher calling Rest In Peace Sincere condolences to the family and coworkers
— Charlie Daniels (@CharlieDaniels) November 8, 2018
While Clifton Collins Jr. may have avoided the shooting, for Tamera Mowry-Housley, host of The Real and star of Sister, Sister , the news was not so hopeful. Tamera initially responded to a Twitter post asking for information about a missing suitemate after realizing it was her niece, Alaina.
As previously reported by the Inquistr , the search ended in tragedy when it was confirmed that Alaina had perished during the Thousand Oaks shooting. Tamera and her husband, former Fox News correspondent Adam Housley, issued the following statement to USA Today .
“Our hearts are broken. We just learned that our niece Alaina was one of the victims of last night’s shooting at Borderline bar in Thousand Oaks. Alaina was an incredible young woman with so much life ahead of her and we are devastated that her life was cut short in this manner. We thank everyone for your prayers and ask for privacy at this time.”
