14 people were murdered and at least 17 injured on Wednesday in a mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center, a social services center in San Bernardino, California.
San Bernadino is a city of roughly 200,000 people located 60 miles (95 km) outside of Los Angeles.
Witnesses said the shooting took place in a conference room that holds up to 300 people.
There may have been as many as three suspects, all of whom used what police described as “long guns”, and who fired from within the Inland Regional Center before fleeing the scene in an SUV.
Police were able to locate the black SUV shortly after 3:00 p.m. local time. Reports said the vehicle was stopped, and that two suspects were “dealt with”. One of them was reportedly shot dead and a second was in custody.
A third suspect may have fled on foot. One office was injured in the shootout with the suspects but his injuries were reportedly non-life threatening.
San Bernardino county chief Jarrod Burguan said at a press conference shortly before 2:00 p.m. (California time) that officers responded quickly and had a “massive” regional response as the scope of the shooting became clear.
“What we have so far is information to the effect that up to three people had entered the building and opened fire on the people in the building. We have preliminary numbers of upwards of 14 people that are dead and up to 14 people that are injured,” he said.
“We do not have any identification of who these suspects are,” stressed Burguan, saying that officers continue to search the area in search of victims and suspects.
An FBI spokesman said there were no indications thus far that the shooting was a terrorist attack.
Police are currently describing the gunmen as “three males of unknown race.” At least one is wearing “tactical gear”; that shooter reportedly entered a conference room and began shooting everyone in sight. One eyewitness told the Telegraph that she heard “twenty or thirty rounds” fired shortly after the attack began; she works a school for the blind across the street.
Police have embarked on a manhunt for the shooters, whom eyewitnesses told CNN left the site in a black SUV.
Bomb squads are at the scene examining a suspicious object, as well, it has now been confirmed, which was left on the second floor of the building.
Police were taking witnesses away from the scene on school buses to an undisclosed “secure” location in order to interview them about the shooting, according to the Guardian.
Photos are emerging on social media of heavy police presence at the scene. Dozens of officers have formed a perimeter around the area; police have asked local news stations to avoid broadcasting live. The FBI is also reportedly at the site.
Triage units are being set up to treat the victims.
It is unclear how many people were in the building when the shooting began; live footage shows hundreds being evacuated with hands in the air.
Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco has now briefed US President Barack Obama on the shooting.
Obama, for his part, reiterated that there are too many shooting incidents in the United States. The comments came in an interview with CBS News filmed shortly after the California shooting.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has indicated it is not aware of any Israeli victims in the shooting.
The center primarily caters to over 30,000 people with developmental disabilities, and has 670 staff members, according to its Facebook page.
Photos: Reuters.
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