John Snowling biography: 13 things about former Ventura, California police sergeant

John Patrick Snowling was a police sergeant in Ventura, Ventura County, California, United States. After retiring, he established Snowling Investigations and worked for Norman A. Traub Associates as a private investigator.

Snowling is one of U.S. Navy veteran George Louis Snowling and Melba Ruth Newman‘s eight children. John’s siblings are Melba Diane Larsen, Gail Montagna, William George Snowling, Teresa Van Son, Michael Snowling, James Snowling and Steven Snowling.

From California, John moved to Ohio, USA where he lived on a 7-acre property with a dog while he stilled owned property in Camarillo. On August 23, 2023, he traveled from Ohio to California to confront Marie while they were going through a divorce.

In the evening, Marie was having dinner with her friend Tonya Clark, 49, of Scottsdale, Arizona, USA at Cook’s Corner, a biker bar in Trabuco Canyon, Orange County, California. John entered the bar, walked up to Marie, shot his wife in the face, fatally shot Clark, turned his gun on the crowd, opened fire, went out to the parking lot and continued to fire.

In the parking lot, John fatally shot Glen Sprowl Jr., 53, of Stanton, Orange County, who tried to confront him. Including Marie, six were wounded during the shooting.

Initially, John used two guns then he retrieved two more from his truck. He owned a .380 pistol, .38 revolver, .25 pistol and a shotgun, which he legally acquired.

John lived in different parts of California including Ventura and Camarillo. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. He was 3 years younger than Marie. They have two children together.
2. From July 1978 to September 1982, he was a law enforcement explorer lieutenant with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department in Santa Barbara County, California.
3. From March 1982 to September 1982, he was a police cadet in Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County.
4. From 1981 to 1985, he attended Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara where he earned his associate’s degree in business management.
5. In July 1986, he joined the Ventura Police Department.
6. From 1990 to 1997, he attended California State University, Northridge in Northridge, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration.
7. In 2001, he and Marie got married.
8. In February 2014, he retired from the Ventura Police Department. He was a police sergeant.
9. On December 21, 2015, Marie took to Facebook to share a photo of him with their two children.
10. In December 2019, he and Marie started providing healthcare to his father who was suffering from kidney failure.
11. On January 20, 2020, his father died in Camarillo at age 89.
12. In December 2022, Marie filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable difference. The case was scheduled for a mandatory settlement conference in November 2023. His divorce lawyer was Tristan Tegroen and her attorney was Kenneth H.J. Henjum.
13. After he killed three people and wounded six others on August 23, 2023 at a Trabuco Canyon bar, he was fatally shot by Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies. He was 59.