14 Killed in SoCal Massacre, 2 Suspected Shooters
Dead
By Willian Avila and Gabriella Iannetta
December 03, 2015
"Information
Clearing House" - "NBCLA"
- Two suspects, one male and one female, are dead following a
shootout with police and a third person has been detained after a
massive manhunt for gunmen who opened fire in a social services
facility east of Los Angeles on Wednesday, killing at least 14
people and wounding 17 others, authorities said.
The rampage
shooting at a holiday party by gunmen described as "on a mission"
marked the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. since Newtown where
27 children and staff were killed in 2012.
"We all should go
home tonight with our loved ones and just understand that this can
happen at any time," said Loma Linda Medical Center spokeswoman
Briana Pastorino, at the end of a press conference.
"We hear of these
mass shootings all over the country. And I believe you would all
agree that this hit a little bit to close to home. It is home," she
said.
Sources have
confirmed to NBC4 of Los Angeles that one of the attackers was Syed
Farook. It was not clear if Farook was one of the suspects killed in
the shootout with police.
Another source
told NBC News that another attacker is believed to be Farook’s
brother. The identity of the woman suspect remains unclear.
"This is truly a
tragedy in our country," FBI Los Angeles Director David Bowdich
said. Bowdich did not rule out that the shooting could have been a
terrorist attack, saying "It is a possibility but we don't know this
yet."
In the afternoon,
authorities
swarmed a bullet-riddled SUV in San Bernardino during the
manhunt for the suspects. The two suspects killed by police -- a man
and woman -- were "dressed in assault style clothing" and armed with
both handguns and assault rifles, San Bernardino police chief Jarron
Burguan said in a press conference later in the day.
The bomb squad
continues to search the Inland Regional Center slowly after they
found a suspicious device they believe could be an explosive, the
police chief said.
SWAT teams are
also working to clear a home in the city of Redlands where police
first made contact with the now-dead male and female suspects.
Gunfire erupted
about 11 a.m. at the Inland Regional Center in the 1300 block of S.
Waterman Avenue in San Bernardino (map),
which serves people with developmental disabilities, according to
the San Bernardino Police Department. Hundreds of people were inside
at the time.
The police chief
said that he had heard there was a dispute at the party inside the
facility and one person left angrily because of it but it is not
known if there was a connection between the incident and the
shooting.
"They came
prepared to do what they did, as if they were on a mission," said
Burguan.
Obviously, at minimum, we have a
domestic terrorist-type situation that occurred here.Jarrod
Burguan, San Bernardino Chief of Police
A tip led police
later in the day to the home in Redlands where the suspects then
led police on a chase.
Multiple
agencies, including the FBI and ATF, were assisting with the
investigation.
"They were
dressed and equipped in a way to indicate that they were prepared,
and they were armed with long guns, not handguns," Burguan said. "We
have no information at this point to indicate that this is terrorist
related in the traditional sense that people may be thinking.
Obviously, at a minimum, we have a domestic terrorist-type situation
that occurred here."
Images from the
scene showed law enforcement personnel armed with rifles and wearing
protective gear fanning out across the area, as emergency responders
treated multiple victims in the street.
"They were being
carried on trucks… They were shot, they were injured. Some of them
did not survive," said NBC Los Angeles reporter Tony Shin,
describing victims he saw being brought to the triage area.
The Inland
Regional Center serves more than 31,000 people with developmental
disabilities in San Bernardino County and neighboring Riverside
County, according to the center's website. According to the site,
the facility is the largest of California's regional centers, and is
"a nonprofit, private community-based agency that is proud to help
obtain services and support for our constituents."
One man at the
scene said his daughter, who works at the center with the mentally
disabled, had texted him. She was hiding in a closet with other
people, he said.
Another man told
NBC4 Los Angeles his sister has cerebral palsy and attends the
center.
NBC Los Angeles
photographer Alex Vasquez made his way to the Inland Regional Center
soon after the shooting and said he saw many people with severe
injuries, and that he spoke to some who were in shock.
"They heard many
gunshots. A lot of people were just yelling for their loved ones,"
he said.
Nearby
schools, city and county buildings were locked down during the
search for the suspects. The area near Waterman Avenue and Park
Center Circle was closed to traffic. Drivers were advised to avoid
the area.
President Barack
Obama said California's massacre reminded him of a
pattern of mass shootings in the U.S. that "has no parallel
anywhere else in the world."
California Gov.
Jerry Brown issued a statement saying in part, "Our thoughts and
prayers are with the victims’ families and everyone affected by the
brutal attack. California will spare no effort in bringing these
killers to justice."
San Bernardino is
about 60 miles from Los Angeles.
Jason Kandel
and Asher Klein contributed to this report.
Father of San Bernardino Shooting Suspect Syed
Farook Says Son Worked as Health Tech
By Nancy Dillon, Denis Slattery
December 03, 2015 "Information
Clearing House" - "Daily
News" - ONE OF the suspects in
Wednesday’s mass shooting in California was identified as a
young father who worked for the county agency that had been holding
a holiday party when the carnage unfolded.
Syed Farook, believed to be 30, was linked to the
horrific slaughter that left 14 dead at the Inland Regional Center
in San Bernardino, a law enforcement official told The Associated
Press.
Farook’s father was shocked to learn of his son’s
possible involvement in the attack.
“I haven’t heard anything,” the elder Syed Farook
told the Daily News. “He was very religious. He would go to work,
come back, go to pray, come back. He’s Muslim.”
The shell-shocked dad said his son worked as a
health technician inspecting restaurants and hotels and graduated
from La Sierra High School in 2003.
After police announced two suspects — a male and a
female — were dead following a car chase and shootout with police,
the FBI began a search of a nearby Redlands apartment linked to the
younger Farook’s family.
Police said that there had been a dispute during
the San Bernardino County Department of Health holiday event at the
Inland Regional Center
The Los Angeles Times reported Farook bolted from
the holiday bash after arguing with another attendee, and then
returned a short time later with the other two shooters.
The elder Farook said he hasn’t seen his son in
some time.
“He’s married and has a kid. We’re estranged
because my wife got the divorce, and they are together,” the dad
said. “She doesn’t want to see me.”
Longtime neighbors in Riverside were shocked to
hear Farook could be involved with such a brutal attack.
“He was quiet but always polite,” Maria Gutierrez
told The News. “Maybe two years ago he became more religious. He
grew a beard and started to wear religious clothing. The long shirt
that’s like a dress and the cap on his head.”
“I know he was very smart. He went to college
early. He and his brother were always working in the garage on cars.
Until like 11 p.m. at night. I think his mom was a nurse and his
older brother was in the military.”
“If it’s him, I’m very surprised. Can you imagine?
They were my neighbors for so many years. I never would guess.”
