News

Possible San Bernardino Suspect Named

by Alex Gladu

Update: On Wednesday, Dec. 2, a shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California left 14 people dead and 21 wounded. Hours after the attack, police pursued information that led to a chase of a dark SUV, which was later determined to be a rental car. A shootout between police and the suspects left both suspects dead. They were identified as Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, who were husband and wife.

According to SBPD Chief Jarrod Burguan, the four guns used in the shooting were purchased legally. The suspects were found to have 1,600 rounds of ammunition with them, and at a home they were renting in Redlands, California, law enforcement officers found 4,500 rounds of ammunition and 12 pipe bombs. No official motive has been confirmed, though a source told The Los Angeles Times that investigators are considering that it might be terrorism or workplace-related.

Earlier: Wednesday evening, news outlets identified one of the individuals who may have opened fire on the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, earlier in the day. Syed Farook was named by several media outlets. The Los Angeles Times reports that he is a U.S. citizen and may have worked at the San Bernardino County Health department as an environmental health specialist. The health department was apparently holding a party at the IRC when the shooting occurred. There is not yet any additional information on the suspect, or what his motive might have been. The other suspects have not yet been named.

"I am in shock," Farook's brother-in-law Farhad Khan said in a press conference held by the Council on American–Islamic Relations Thursday. Khan said he did not speak to Farook for possibly a week. He expressed his condolences to the victims and their families. "I have no idea why he would do that, why he would do something like this," he said.

According to NBC News, one of the other attackers may have been Farook's brother, though that is yet to be confirmed by authorities. Citing public records, NBC News also reports that a person under the name of Syed Farook was listed as a resident of a Redlands home where a SUV was followed by authorities. That SUV was later the subject of a shootout with police.

The shooting broke out around 11 a.m. local time, at a center for people with disabilities. Multiple shooters stormed the center, armed with assault rifles and handguns and wearing "assault-style" clothing. The attack killed at least 14 people and left 17 others injured.

By 3:15 p.m. local time, police had pursued the suspects in a dark SUV to Redlands, just a few miles from the center. The SUV crashed, and police opened fire on the vehicle. San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan tweeted shortly after, "Suspects are down, one officer wounded." In a press conference Wednesday evening, Burguan confirmed that two suspects had been killed — one man and one woman. A third person was detained while fleeing the scene of the shootout, but it's unclear if they were involved in the incident.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

Image: CNN