A massive manhunt for the people who opened fire on a holiday party outside of Los Angeles ended Wednesday afternoon with a man and a woman, both suspected shooters, dead and a third person detained, police said.
Fourteen people were killed and 17 wounded at a social services facility east of Los Angeles, according to the San Bernardino Police Department. Police initially sought up to three gunmen, but now believe the two people killed in a gun battle later on Wednesday were the only shooters involved in the deadly shooting – the worst in the U.S. since 2012.
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Police identified the suspected attackers as American Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, whose nationality was unknown. It is not clear how they were related.
"I am in shock that something like this can happen," Farhan Khan, Farook's brother-in-law, said at a press conference Wednesday evening. "I hope everyone can understand and (that) the victims recover out there."
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The two were armed with "essentially" .233 caliber assault rifles and semi-automatic handguns, according to San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan. Police also found three explosives at the scene of the shooting.
They were killed in a shootout in San Bernardino hours after they allegedly armed themselves and walked into a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center, where terrified people barricaded themselves in rooms to keep safe from the gunfire.
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"This is truly a tragedy in our country," FBI Los Angeles Director David Bowdich said. He not rule out that the shooting could have been a terrorist attack.
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"It is a possibility but we don't know this yet," Bowdich said.
Burguan described the shooters as "on a mission." The death toll marked the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. since 27 children and elementary school staffers were killed in Newtown, Connecticut, 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 she was giving.
"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 continued.
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In the afternoon, authorities swarmed a bullet-riddled SUV in San Bernardino during the manhunt for the suspects. The two suspects killed by police were "dressed in assault style clothing," Burguan said.
A police officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the gun battle.
A third person was detained after they were seen running from the police shootout, but it was not clear if they were related to the massacre at the Inland Regional Center, in the 1300 block of S. Waterman Avenue in San Bernardino (map).
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The facility serves people with developmental disabilities, according to the San Bernardino Police Department. Hundreds of people were inside at the time.
Burguan and San Bernardino Mayor Carey Davis said they were told there was a dispute at a party inside the facility.
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Burguan said one person left, apparently in anger, and later identified that person as Farook.
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 a home in Redlands, from which the suspects led police on a chase.
Multiple agencies, including the FBI and ATF, were assisting with the investigation.
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"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."
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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.
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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, which calls it "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. Some people he spoke to who were in shock.
"They heard many gunshots. A lot of people were just yelling for their loved ones," he said.
Burguan described the shooters as "on a mission." The death toll marked the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. since 27 children and elementary school staffers were killed in Newtown, Connecticut, 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 she was giving.
"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 continued.
Husband Reacts to Mass San Bernardino Shooting
In the afternoon, authorities swarmed a bullet-riddled SUV in San Bernardino during the manhunt for the suspects. The two suspects killed by police were "dressed in assault style clothing," Burguan said.
A police officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the gun battle.
A third person was detained after they were seen running from the police shootout, but it was not clear if they were related to the massacre at the Inland Regional Center, in the 1300 block of S. Waterman Avenue in San Bernardino (map).
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The facility serves people with developmental disabilities, according to the San Bernardino Police Department. Hundreds of people were inside at the time.
Burguan and San Bernardino Mayor Carey Davis said they were told there was a dispute at a party inside the facility.
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Burguan said one person left, apparently in anger, and later identified that person as Farook.
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 a home in Redlands, from which the suspects led police on a chase.
Multiple agencies, including the FBI and ATF, were assisting with the investigation.
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"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."
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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.
Family Members, Schools, Locals React to California Shooting
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, which calls it "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. Some people he spoke to 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."
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