Wednesday Morning at approximately 11:15 Pacific Time three gunman, armed with long assault weapons entered the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, CA , and opened fire in a conference room. Witnesses said that the three suspects were on a mission, wearing masks and dark tactical clothing and sounds of bullets filled the air for approximately three to four minutes before fleeing the scene in a black SUV. In their wake were 14 dead and 17 injured while hundreds of employees locked themselves down and hid waiting for authorities to arrive.
At a press conference, law enforcement officials said that about 4½ hours later, multiple police cars were involved in a high-speed chase beginning as police followed a lead to a home in the nearby city of Redland. After a dark SUV emerged from this home. police went into pursuit. After arriving again in the San Bernardino area, a shootout occurred with police. One female suspect and one male suspect were killed and one officer wounded with non life threatening injuries.
The dead suspects were armed with assault weapons, handguns and possible explosive material as well as being clothed in dark tactical style gear. Law Enforcement is handling the scene cautiously until they are sure that there no danger for anyone else. A third suspect was apprehended while fleeing the neighborhood and is being detained for questioning. Police are not sure if this person is involved in the shooting or with the dead suspects.
Assistant Director of the FBI in Los Angeles, David Bowdich, offered true sadness and sympathy to the families that have been involved in this tragedy and reassured them that all law enforcement resources will work diligently together to solve this case. The FBI has been brought in to analyze the evidence and find all of those who are responsible for carrying out and planning this devastating act.
“Is this terrorism? We do not know that for sure. It is a possibility. We are not willing to go down that road just yet and will go where the evidence takes us.” Bowdich stated. “This is a very fluid, active investigation, we will get there when we get there. ”
Police Chief Jarrod Burguan added that authorities do not yet know who the suspects are, if the home they came from belonged to them or what the motive is for this horrific attack.
Burguan reported that police authorities are still processing and releasing the scene at Inland Regional Center, the scene where the shootout occurred in a neighborhood close by and is also processing evidence at the home where the suspects vehicle came from. Neighborhoods have been searched for any other possible suspects and police feel that the areas in question have been cleared.
Chief Burguan stressed that this is still an active crime investigation and will be sure that media receives information as soon as they are able to do so.
