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Hundreds show up to donate blood following California mass shooting

Posted at 5:48 PM, Nov 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-08 17:48:50-05

 Hundreds of people showed up to donate blood on Thursday for the victims of the mass shooting at a bar in Thousand Oaks, California.

More than 200 people waited to participate in a blood drive at La Reina High School. The line extended out of the school parking lot, stretched down the street and wrapped around the block, school officials said.

"You know, you hear about all these things happening around the country, but it's different when it's close to home," one woman told Kristine Lazar, a reporter from CNN affiliate KCAL/KCBS. "You want to do everything you can."

 

The school had previously scheduled the blood drive on campus, but shifted its focus to gathering blood donations specifically for Wednesday night's shooting.

Twelve people, including a Ventura County Sheriff's sergeant, were killed when a gunman entered the Borderline Bar and Grill and opened fire. Multiple others were injured, though its unclear how many suffered gunshot wounds.

People brought snacks -- pizza, doughnuts, fruit and water -- for those in line. Many said they'd waited three or more hours to give blood and give back to their community in a time of need.

Each of them had their own reasons for choosing to donate blood.

"I'm an Uber driver and I drive these kids around," another woman told KCAL, talking about the college students and young people who go to the bar. "It breaks your heart."

One group of people described the crowd as "People loving people."