An FBI agent searches the spot where Wednesday's police shootout with suspects happened in San Bernardino, California, Dec. 3, 2015. The two suspects in Wednesday's mass shooting at San Bernardino City of Southern California were heavily armed, police said on Thursday. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
The two suspects in Wednesday's mass shooting at San Bernardino City of Southern California were heavily armed, police said on Thursday.
Fourteen people were killed in the tragic incident on Wednesday and the number of people injured rose to 21, including two police officers, said Jarrod Burguan, San Bernardino Police Chief, at a press conference Thursday morning.
The husband-and-wife attackers, U.S. citizen Syed Farook, 28, and his wife Tashfeen Malik, 27, had 1,600 rifle and 9-millimeter rounds of ammunition when they were killed, Burguan said.
Also, 2,000 9-millimeter rounds, 2,500 .223 rounds, as well as 12 pipe bombs and tools to make bombs were found at the couple's rented home, excluding the more than 100 rounds they fired in the assault and gunfire with police in the pursuit, the police chief said.
The couple, who left their six-month-old daughter with grandparents on the day of the shooting, weared black tactical gear with pockets to hold magazines and bombs and left three pipe bombs attached together with remote control in a bag at the shooting scene, according to police. The device apparently failed to detonate. Four high-capacity rifle magazines were also left behind at the scene.
Farook worked for the San Bernardino County Health Department for five years. He attended the department's holiday party at a conference room of the Inland Regional Center Wednesday morning, but left possibly in angry after a dispute. He and his wife returned with the battle gears and sprayed the room with bullets.
Farook was described as a quiet Muslim who followed a routine of going to work, returning home and praying. He and his wife are not on terror watch list and criminal records.
A previous coworker of Farook gave police an important tip that led to the search of the couple's house during which police found the suspected black Ford Expedition car, followed by the pursuit and kill of the couple.
FBI's Assistant Director of Los Angeles Office David Bowdich said that they still need more time and evidence to judge whether this is a terrorist attack.
Some 300 police officers from seven agencies of local, state and federal level responded to the shooting Wednesday with 23 officers involved in the gunfire which led to the deceases of the suspects. Officers fired 380 rounds at suspects. Suspects fired 76 rounds at officers.
Burguan said the couple could be in some degree of planning to attack, but their true motive needs further investigation.
He also said that all four firearms used in the shooting appear to be purchased legally and registered.
Malik was a Pakistani. Farook returned to the U.S. with Malik, who he met online, after traveling to Saudi Arabia.
The black Ford Expedition they drove to flee was rented by Farook and due to return on Wednesday.
The shooting occurred at around 11:00 a.m. local time (1900 GMT) Wednesday morning shocked the U.S. society.
There were several hundred people inside the building of the Inland Regional Center when the shooting happened. Most of them walked out unhurt.
The center is a non-profit offering services to individuals with developmental disabilities. It has about 670 employees and serves over 30,000 people.
The shooting spree in Southern California on Wednesday was the 353rd mass shooting in the United States in the past 336 days so far this year, according to a database that tracks mass shootings in the country.
U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday morning that "We are going to get to the bottom of this. There may be mixed motives in all of this." He also called for stricter gun control after the mass shooting.
