Assailants dressed in “tactical gear” and armed with AR-15 assault rifles opened fire at a holiday party for county health department employees in San Bernardino today, killing 14 people and wounding 17 others, 1 critically. They also had pipe bombs, which they either didn’t activate, or which failed to explode. They escaped in a dark-colored SUV, but the vehicle was spotted a short time later, and after a brief chase Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, his wife, were killed in an exchange of gunfire with 21 police officers that left 1 officer injured.
Reports through the day said there were three shooters, but police indicated late Wednesday night that Farook and Malik were the only suspects. A third person was detained, but hasn’t been identified or called a suspect by police. The Farooks lived with his mother in Redlands and leave a 6-month-old daughter. Authorities were searching that house Wednesday night.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear. Farook was employed by the county health department as an inspector, and abruptly left the party a few minutes before the assailants burst in and began shooting. Witnesses recognized him as one of the shooters even though he wore a ski mask.
The circumstances suggested a possible workplace dispute, but authorities also are investigating the possibility of a terrorism connection. The FBI and a counter-terrorism task are involved in the investigation. The attack appeared to have been pre-planned, and people who knew Farook, who was Muslim, described him as “very religious.” He met Malik online and married her in Saudi Arabia about 2 years ago.
Photo of facility where mass shooting occurred in conference center partially visible at top of photo