Before he responded to his final call, Sheriff's sergeant told his wife: 'I love you'

MOORPARK, Calif. - Ron Helus was among the first law enforcement officers to arrive at the Borderline Bar in Thousand Oaks shortly after 11:20 p.m. He ran through the front door and was shot multiple times by the gunman, Sheriff Geoff Dean said.

Before the gunshots shouted into the night, before he pushed through that barroom door, before the bullets struck and his body crumpled, Sgt. Ron Helus was on the phone with his wife.

"I gotta go handle a call. I love you. I'll talk to you later."

The words had been uttered countless times