"I can assume he has some sort of mental issue, because no normal person would commit such an outrageous act and murder innocent people," Kuredjia said.

A total of 25 other people were injured in the shooting, including 23 who self-transported themselves to hospitals, and two who were taken by ambulance, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles got in touch with local police immediately after the mass shooting, and so far no Chinese casualties were reported, said a spokesperson for the Consulate General.

A procession was held Thursday morning for Helus, a 29-year veteran who was set to retire next year. He is survived by his wife and son.

His body was transported via motorcade from Los Robles Hospital to the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office. People stood along the route with grief, paying salute to the officer.

When asked how officers were trained to respond to such crime scene, Kuredjia told Xinhua the policy with active shooters was changed throughout the country, after the Columbine High School shooting occurred in Colorado in 1999.

"At that time we would wait for SWAT in entering the building. But we discovered there were more victims as a result of that. So we changed our policy throughout the country," he said.

He said officers were trained to eliminate the threat if they heard gunshots at the scene. "That's what Sergeant Helus did last night."

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