FBI, City Officials Provide Updates On San Bernardino Shooting Massacre
SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — FBI and city officials held a news conference Thursday morning to provide details emerging in the shooting massacre in San Bernardino.
According to San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan, authorities discovered significant evidence within the Redlands home believed to be linked to 28-year-old Syed Rizwan Farook's mother.
During their search of the home, authorities located more 2,000 9-millimeter rounds, over 2,500 caliber rounds and several hundred long rifle rounds.
Twelve pipe bomb type devices were located within the garage along with hundreds of tools that are used to construct bombs and other material.
Evidence seized from the residence is being sent to Washington, D.C., to be analyzed, according to the FBI.
Seven different agencies are involved in the investigation, officials said.
"Everybody knows San Bernardino's been beaten up with the bankruptcy and some of the things that's hit this community," Burguan said. "Economically, this community's been hit hard, but this is a pretty resilient community. We will survive this. We've had an enormous groundswell of support and well wishes that have come in from all over the place."
Just before 11 a.m. on Wednesday, gunfire erupted in a conference room at the Inland Regional Center, located in the 1300 block of South Waterman Avenue, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 27, carried in legally purchased semi-automatic weapons along with handguns and opening fire in the building.
Fourteen people died and 21 more were wounded. A triage center was set up along the street to assist the wounded.
Following the shooting, a tip led officers to the home in Redlands.
Authorities spotted a vehicle that matched the description nearby and an officer-involved shooting subsequently occurred.
During the standoff with the suspects, 23 officers fired a total of 380 rounds at Farook and Malik. The couple fired back a total of 76 rifle rounds at officers on scene.
One officer suffered from a gunshot wound to his left leg. He was expected to be released from the hospital Thursday.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: San Bernardino Shooting
Both Farook and Malik were pronounced dead by paramedics.
A preliminary investigation determined the bullet riddled, black Ford SUV, which has Utah license plates, was rented locally four days prior to the shooting.
Farook and Malik had over 1,400 caliber rounds and more than 200 9-millimeter rounds available to them on their person or within the vehicle.
According to police, both shooters came into the U.S. in July 2014. At the time, Farook and Malik were not married. They since married and had a 6-month-old baby girl while Malik remained on a Visa.
The Board of Supervisors has decided to shut down non-essential services out of respect today and tomorrow, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said.
Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Los Angeles East and Inland Empire Chapters will held a vigil at 6 p.m. to remember the victims and their families at the Baitul Hameed Mosque, located at 11941 Ramona Avenue in Chino.
A somber California Governor Jerry Brown addressed reporters Thursday evening.
"It's really a sad day for California, for San Bernardino, for the families of the victims We face a real threat but we have a fabulous group of people -- sheriffs, policeman, FBI, other personnel -- who are all working together. And we have to rise above all the jurisdictions we are a part of and we're working as one group, one people. And my concern is to make sure that everything that can be done, is being done and going forward, that the state of California provides the resources and works very closely with both local officials and our federal counterparts to make sure that we can protect the people of California."
He added, "When it comes to people who engage in these kinds of vicious, brutal acts, we'll spare nothing to bring them to justice. And protecting the people along the way. So, I don't know what this means going forward but I think we have to be on our guard and we can't take anything for granted. I just want to assure my fellow citizens in California that we will go just as far as we have to to make sure that public safety is protected. Thank you."
Officials added there is no credible threat of danger to the community at this time.
