Friends, Family Gather To Mourn Borderline Shooting Hero Matt Wennerstrom
THOUSAND OAKS (CBSLA) — Friends and family gathered in Thousand Oaks to mourn the death of Matt Wennerstrom, who saved dozens of lives during the 2018 Borderline shooting.
"It's great because everybody has come here to honor his memory," said Wennerstrom's grandmother Renee Matthews "He was so loved by so many people and he helped so many people."
The 24-year-old Wennerstrom was killed when his motorcycle collided with a car in Newbury Park on Saturday night.
"Unbelievable, unbelievable loss," said Matthews.
Wennerstrom was labeled a hero when he helped save lives during one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history.
"Borderline's what everyone knows him for but all his friends here can tell you countless stories of just the little ways he's cared for each of us," said Carina Cendejas, who went to high school with Wennerstrom.
In 2018, Wennersterom was sitting inside of Borderline Bar & Grill when a gunman opened fire inside of the country music club, killing 13, including himself and wounding 18 others. While the gunman reloaded, Wennerstrom helped save more than two dozen people when he broke a window with a barstool and led them to safety.
Many paid their respects to Wennerstrom, who was a car and bike enthusiast, by revving their engines and driving their customized cars to the vigil.
"I expected a decent turnout, but nothing like it ended up being," said Matthews.
Wennerstrom's friend Michael Moses organized the vigil to honor his late friend.
"Cars are more than just cars to us," Moses said. "It's an extension of our personalities and who we are. And so we like to come together and look at everybody's personalities."
As she wore her grandson's personalized jacket and listened to the adoration for her grandson Matthews also vowed to honor her grandson's legacy by taking care of his beloved dog.