The shooting began at 11 a.m. local time at a conference center at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, a three-building facility that serves people with developmental disabilities, during a Christmas party. The conference center was being rented out by San Bernardino County’s Department of Health, IRC President Marybeth Field tells PEOPLE.
Two suspects in the attack – one male and one female – were shot dead during a gun battle with police, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said at a press conference. An officer was injured in the gun battle, Burguan said, adding that the injuries are likely non-fatal.
Burguan later identified the suspects as Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, believed to be in a relationship with one another.
Farook’s brother-in-law Farhan Khan spoke at a Council on American Islamic Relations conference following the news, saying: “I can’t not express the sadness I have about what happened, and people who lost their lives.” Asked when he last saw Farook, Khan replied: “A week ago,” but did not want to go into further details.Meanwhile Burguan said the suspects used “assault rifles” in the attack. The deceased suspects were described as being dressed in “tactical gear,” he said.
Cops caught up with the suspects after tips led them to a residence in neighboring Redlands, Burguan said. At that point, a dark SUV that had been seen fleeing the scene of the shooting fled the Redlands house, leading police on a pursuit that ended with the gun battle on a residential San Bernardino street.
Police lifted a lockdown in the neighborhood in which the gun battle took place, Burguan said, saying, “We feel confident about the neighborhood where the officer-involved shooting took place.” Police used a robot to sweep the residence.Source: PEOPLE
Police searching the IRC discovered some “suspicious devices,” Burguan said, adding that “one of those devices is believes to be an explosive device.”
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