His father-in-law called him a “crazy husband,” a retired Ventura police sergeant for whom divorce did not sit well.
At various times, John Patrick Snowling was a veteran cop reaching out to the homeless, a union boss and a private investigator. On Wednesday night, prosecutors say, Snowling, 59, became a killer in a melee that left three victims dead and six others injured, including his estranged wife, Marie Snowling. She was shot in the lower jaw and was recuperating from her injuries Thursday at UCI Medical Center.
John Snowling himself was killed in a confrontation with Orange County Sheriff’s deputies outside the Cook’s Corner biker bar in Trabuco Canyon.
Court records show the couple separated in November 2020 after nearly 22 years of marriage. She filed for divorce in March 2023. The couple had no children.
Marie Snowling’s father, William Mosby, said in an interview at the hospital that John Snowling was not doing well with the estrangement.
In the aftermath of the mass shooting at one of Orange County’s most historic businesses, questions remained over who was John Snowling and what spurred the attack.
State records show Snowling, most recently worked as a private investigator, on his own and with Norman A. Traub and Associates in Thousand Oaks. Brock Avery, who took over the firm in 2018 and served as assistant police chief in Ventura, said Snowling handled one case for the company. Traub and Associates specializes in workplace investigations and pre-employment background checks.
“I am shocked and it’s tragic. My heart goes out to everyone involved,” said Avery, who would not comment any further.
As a private investigator, Snowling had a firearms permit that records show expired in 2017.
He started his law enforcement career in 1982, working as a reserve officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department. Snowling was hired by the Ventura Police Department in November 1986 and retired as a sergeant in February…
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