Update | 4:32 p.m.
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At least 14 people were killed and more than a dozen others wounded when up to three suspects armed with long guns entered a facility in San Bernardino, Calif., and began shooting, authorities said Wednesday.
Hours after the shooting, which began at 11 a.m. local time, TV images showed a bullet-riddled, dark colored SUV hemmed in by police tactical vehicles and surrounded by officers in what appeared to be a residential neighborhood. San Bernardino Police Sgt. Vicki Cervantes says police officers traded fire with occupants of the SUV.
“I believe there may be a suspect down,” she said, but she warned that she did not know if that situation was connected to the earlier shootings.
At a later press conference, Cervantes said a police officer sustained non-life-threatening injuries. She also said one suspect had been hit and one suspect may still be “outstanding.”
“I believe there are two at this time being dealt with,” Cervantes said. “If there were originally three suspects, there’s still possibly one outstanding.”
At an earlier press conference, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said the suspects opened fire at the Inland Regional Center, which is part of the California Department of Developmental Services and serves people with developmental disabilities.
Asked about the number of suspects, the police chief said, “I have repeatedly been told the number is three,” though he cautioned that the information was coming from witnesses at the scene. Burguan said the attackers fled in what was potentially a dark SUV. He did not provide a description of the suspects or discuss a possible motive.
“These are people that came prepared,” the chief said. “They were dressed and equipped in a way to indicate that they were prepared and they were armed with long guns not handguns.”
The assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, David Bowdich, said at the news conference, “Is this a terrorist incident? We do not know.”
Burguan also said that several hundred people who were in the building were taken to a safe location and that buildings in the surrounding area had been locked down.
Roads near the scene have been shut down and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department was warning people to avoid the area.
Terry Petit said his daughter works at the Inland Regional Center and that she said she was inside when the sound of gunfire erupted.
He choked back tears as he read her texts to ABC 7 Eyewitness News: “People shot. In the office waiting for cops. Pray for us. I am locked in an office.”
San Bernardino Mayor R. Carey Davis said in a statement that the community “experienced severe loss and severe shock” Wednesday.
“It is critical in moments like these, our City unites in supporting the victims, their families, and the effort against crime in our City. We will continue to utilize all safety resources available to the San Bernardino community to deal with this tragedy,” he said.
A White House official said that President Obama was briefed by his homeland security adviser on the San Bernardino shooting.
“We don’t yet know what the motives of the shooters are, but what we do know is there are steps we can take to make Americans safer and that we should come together in a bipartisan basis at every level of government to make these rare as opposed to normal,” Obama told CBS News Wednesday. “We should never think that this is something that just happens in the ordinary course of events, because it doesn’t happen with the same frequency in other countries.”
From NPR: This is a developing story. Some things that get reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.
Original Story
NBCLA.com/Reuters
Law enforcement agencies are responding to reports of an active shooter in San Bernardino, Calif.
NPR’s Dina Temple-Raston reports that the incident, which began around 11 a.m. local time, is unfolding at the Inland Regional Center. The facility is part of the California Department of Developmental Services and serves people with developmental disabilities. She says law enforcement officials have confirmed there are fatalities although it is unclear how many.
Dina also reports that law enforcement officials say they believe there is more than one shooter and they are searching for suspects who may have fled the scene in a black SUV. She adds that the FBI says it is possible that the people in the SUV are witnesses, not suspects.
Matt Guilhem of NPR member station KVCR tells our Newscast unit that local authorities also say there could be multiple victims. He says S.W.A.T. teams are clearing the building.
Matt says the Inland Regional Center is just across the street from a golf course. But it’s also not very far from a bustling area of San Bernardino.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department posted on its Twitter account that there is an “active shooter in the area of Orange Show Rd/ Waterman Ave near Park center.” Roads near the scene have been shut down and the department was warning people to avoid the area.
Dina reports that the FBI is on the scene. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tweeted that it is also responding.
Terry Petit, said his daughter works at the Inland Regional Center and that she said she was inside when the sound of gunfire erupted.
He choked back tears as he read her texts to ABC 7 Eyewitness News: “People shot. In the office waiting for cops. Pray for us. I am locked in an office.”
The Inland Regional Center’s website says that:
“For the past 44 years, Inland Regional Center’s qualified and supportive employees strive daily to serve more than 31,000 individuals with developmental disabilities in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. As the largest of the regional centers in the State of California, Inland Regional Center is a nonprofit, private community-based agency that is proud to help obtain services and support for our constituents.”
A White House official said that President Obama has been briefed by his Homeland Security adviser and has asked to be updated on the situation as it develops.
As we reported Tuesday, Obama reiterated calls for action on guns in the days following the attack on a Planned Parenthood shooting in Colorado.
“We have to do something about the easy accessibility of weapons of war on our streets,” he declared over the weekend.
This is a developing story. Some things that get reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.
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