Tag Archives: Mass Shootings

County employee Named Suspect in San Bernardino Killings

By Kami Klein

San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguen held a press conference late Wednesday night to identify the suspects in the shooting earlier today at Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, CA which caused the deaths of 14 people; 17 were injured.  The suspects killed in a shootout with police were identified as Syed Rizwan Farook (28) and Tashfeen Malik (27) .  According to a report by CBSN, the two had been married for two years and have a 6 month old daughter.  

The U.S. born Syed Rizwan was employed with San Bernardino County as an environmental specialist for the last five years.  He had attended a meeting/ party that has been an annual event for the county and reports were that he left angry.  It is still unclear what the disagreement was about or with whom.   

Chief Burguen says both law enforcement and the FBI feel that although first reports were that there were three suspects, they believe the two that went into the building were the same that were killed in the suspects car and the only shooters.

In an interview with his brother-in-law, CBSN reports that Sayed Riswan and Tashfeen  lived in the house in Redlands, CA that is now being investigated and belongs to his mother.  Syed is the name he went by for work and in public but the family called him Riswan.

Speaking on a motive for the case Police Chief Burgeun stated.

“We do not have a motive at this time.  We understand that when these kinds of things happen, information changes frequently at the beginning of the investigation.  We have not ruled out terrorism at this time.  But we do not yet know a motive.”   

In regards to the crime scenes, Chief Burgeun said that for the last couple of hours they have been working on the explosive devices that have been found.

“We feel that all explosives have been found and disposed of and are just now being able to get in there and process the evidence. Some degree of planning went into this attack.”

Both of the suspects had 223 assault rifles and semi automatic handguns in their possession when the gun battle with police took place.

Chief Burgeun concluded the press conference with a message for his community.  

“ We understand that you are scared and concerned but please understand that we are doing everything we can to keep people safe here. If we see a threat  we will be sure to communicate that to the community to protect you and your families.”

 

Update: Suspects Killed After Horrific Attack

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.

 

California shooting the latest in a long list of deadly U.S. rampages

REUTERS – Fourteen people were killed and 14 were wounded on Wednesday when at least one person opened fire at a social services agency in the Southern California city of San Bernardino, the latest of many deadly rampages in the United States.

Below are some of the worst shooting incidents in recent years, ranked by the number of dead, including the gunman:

Virginia Tech

April 16, 2007 – A gunman slaughters 32 people and kills himself at Virginia Tech, a university in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Sandy Hook

Dec. 14, 2012 – A gunman kills 20 children and six adults and himself at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Columbine

April 20, 1999 – Two heavily armed teenagers go on a rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, shooting 12 students and a teacher to death and wounding more than 20 others before taking their own lives.

Immigration center

April 3, 2009 – A Vietnamese immigrant opens fire at an immigrant services center in Binghamton, New York, killing 13 people and wounding four. He then kills himself.

Fort Hood

Nov. 5, 2009 – A gunman opens fire at Fort Hood, a U.S. Army base in Texas, killing 13 people and wounding 32. The gunman, an Army major and psychiatrist, was sentenced to death for the rampage.

Washington Navy Yard

Sept. 16, 2013 – A former Navy reservist working as a government contractor kills 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard. Eight people are injured. The gunman was killed by police.

Colorado movie theater

July 20, 2012 – A masked gunman kills 12 people and wounds 70 when he opens fire on moviegoers at a midnight premiere of the Batman film “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, a Denver suburb. A former graduate student is sentenced to life in prison for the rampage.

Washington, D.C., snipers

October 2002 – Two men ambush 13 people, killing 10 of them, in a string of sniper-style shootings that terrorize the Washington area.

Oregon College

Oct. 1, 2015 – A gunman bursts into Umpqua Community College in southwest Oregon and opens fire, killing nine people and wounding seven others before police shoot him to death.

Charleston church

June 17, 2015 – A white supremacist gunman kills nine black churchgoers during a Bible study session at a historic, predominantly black church in Charleston, South Carolina. The suspect is awaiting trial.

Waco bikers

May 17, 2015 – Rival motorcycle gangs kill nine at a restaurant in Waco, Texas. More than 170 people are arrested.

Grandfather kills family

Sept. 18, 2014 – Man kills his daughter and six grandchildren in Bell, Florida, and then kills himself.

Oikos University

April 2, 2012 – A former student kills seven students at Oikos University, a small Christian school in Oakland, California. The suspect is awaiting trial.

Sikh temple

Aug. 5, 2012 – A white supremacist walks into a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, shoots six worshippers and wounds four others, including a policeman. The gunman kills himself after being shot by a police officer.

Florida apartment

July 26, 2013 – A man goes on a shooting spree at an apartment complex in Hialeah, Florida, killing six people. The shooter is killed by police.

Congresswoman assassination attempt

Jan. 8, 2011 – Then-U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords is the target of an assassination attempt by a gunman in Tucson, Arizona, in which six people are killed and 13, including Giffords, are wounded.

Planned Parenthood

Nov. 27, 2015 – A gunman storms a Planned Parenthood health clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, killing three people and wounding nine. Police arrest the gunman.

Television journalists

Aug. 26, 2015 – A reporter and a cameraman are fatally ambushed by a former employee of their Roanoke, Virginia, television station while they are interviewing a woman on live TV. The woman is wounded. The gunman later kills himself as police pursue him on a highway hours after the shooting.

(Compiled by Lisa Shumaker in Chicago; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)