A week after three people were killed and six more wounded when an ex-police officer shot at his estrange wife and other patrons of Cook’s Corner, local businesses and the community are organizing to help those impacted.

“There are so many people affected who work there and we want to help,” said Max Gilmore, who owns Auto Addiction OC in Lake Forest, which, along with Speakeasy Original, is collecting donations for an auction to help raise money.

Gilmore said he’s held monthly car shows at the roadhouse grill tucked away in Trabuco Canyon and, like many, is devastated by the mass shooting. Tanya Clark, 49, of Scottsdale, AZ; John Leehey, 67, of Irvine; and Glen Sprowl Jr., 53, of Stanton, died in the shooting.

Cook’s Corner, which has been closed since Aug. 23, has 15 full-time employees – eight of whom were working at the time of the shooting – and they’ve been impacted in several ways, Gilmore said, including having their cars damaged by the barrage of bullets that flew that night.

“The folks at Cook’s are family and we need to support them,” he said. “So many people were affected. It’s a ripple effect, the psychological impacts, but also the financial ones. It’s really tragic.”

On Monday, Sept. 4, he will post the online auction with items he said are being donated by area businesses. The proceeds from the auction will benefit the victims of the shooting, the bar’s employees and the establishment.

While some businesses have already donated items, Gilmore said he is looking for others to help out. He will take donations through Sunday, Sept. 3. The online fundraiser will go for seven days, until Sept. 10.

Also on Sunday, members of M Street, the classic rock band that was performing at Cook’s Corner, will put on a benefit concert at the Biergarten in Old World Huntington Beach. Two of the band’s members were shot, but have since been released from the hospital and are able to perform.

“Fortunately, all five of us will be fine,” said Debbie Johnson, who was singing when the shooting started.

“We look at this as our path forward,” she said, adding that the band’s goal is to help raise money for all those impacted. “We worried about Tanya’s son and the hourly employees, like the cook who was shot.”

The band will gather a list of people in need and people can donate in person at the show or online with QR codes, Johnson said. “People can split their donations among whomever they want.”

Getting back on stage, Johnson said, is part of the band’s healing process.

“I don’t feel afraid,” she said. “It’s gonna be emotional, but we’re all trying to go back into the world.”

How you can help: 

To contact Gilmore to donate items for the auction, call 949-299-2499 or email [email protected]

The M Street benefit concert will be 2 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 3 at Biergarten, 7561 Center Ave., Old World Huntington Beach.

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