--- description: The family of Sgt. Ron Helus, who was killed in the Thousand Oaks shooting, called him a hero in a new interview title: Widow, Son of Deputy Killed in Thousand Oaks Shooting Speak Out image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt564555f84fbf1399/69893e9586f68e65266eaa84/ventura-police-sheriff-shooting.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Crime](/tag/crime/) ## Crime Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Deputy Killed in Thousand Oaks Shooting 'Died Doing What He Would've Wanted to Do,' Widow Says by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Nov 15, 2018 1:17 PM CUT  Sergeant Ron Helus Sergeant Ron HelusVentura County Sheriff's Office by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Nov 15, 2018 1:17 PM CUT The family of Sgt. Ron Helus, the Ventura County sheriff’s deputy who was [killed trying to stop a mass shooting](http://time.com/5448944/borderline-bar-ron-helus-thousand-oaks-shooting/ "undefined") at a crowded bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif., called him a hero in a new interview. Helus, who spoke to his wife multiple times during his shifts, was on the phone with her when he got the call to respond to the shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill. When Helus entered the bar, he was shot multiple times and later died at a hospital. He was one of [12 victims](http://time.com/5449526/thousand-oaks-bar-shooting-victims/ "undefined") in the shooting. “He said he loved me and I said I loved him and that was the last time I talked to him,” the officer’s widow Karen Helus told NBC’s _Today_ show. “He was a hero. He would have said he was just doing his job, but he is a hero and I want him to be known for that.” Helus enjoyed outdoor activities with his son, Jordan who said he had a “life of good memories” of fishing and camping with his dad. > [](https://twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/1063051799169560576) Karen Helus said her husband “had a heart of gold.” “I can’t bring him back. But he died doing what he would have wanted to do,” she said. “He’s in a better place now.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5455577/ron-helus-widow-interview-thousand-oaks-shooting/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5455577/ron-helus-widow-interview-thousand-oaks-shooting/"},"headline":"Deputy Killed in Thousand Oaks Shooting 'Died Doing What He Would've Wanted to Do,' Widow Says","datePublished":"2018-11-15T13:17:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T22:03:18.570Z","description":"The family of Sgt. Ron Helus, who was killed in the Thousand Oaks shooting, called him a hero in a new interview","url":"https://time.com/5455577/ron-helus-widow-interview-thousand-oaks-shooting/","keywords":["Crime","California","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt564555f84fbf1399/69893e9586f68e65266eaa84/ventura-police-sheriff-shooting.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt564555f84fbf1399/69893e9586f68e65266eaa84/ventura-police-sheriff-shooting.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"ventura-police-sheriff-shooting","caption":"Sergeant Ron Helus","creditText":"Ventura County Sheriff's Office","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/crime/","name":"Crime"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5455577/ron-helus-widow-interview-thousand-oaks-shooting/","name":"Deputy Killed in Thousand Oaks Shooting 'Died Doing What He Would've Wanted to Do,' Widow Says"}}]}] ```