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AUTHORITIES IN CALIFORNIA are trying to learn why a couple left behind their infant daughter and carried out a shooting rampage that left 14 people dead and seriously wounded more than a dozen others in one of the nation’s worst mass shootings.
The pair were killed in a shootout with police hours after they carried out their precision assault.
The possible motive for the attack included workplace violence or terrorism.
Yesterday’s shooting happened at a social services centre for the disabled where the suspect’s colleagues with the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health were renting space for a celebration.
It was the nation’s deadliest mass shooting since the attack at a school in Newtown, Connecticut, three years ago that left 26 children and adults dead.
San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan identified one dead suspect as Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, the other as Tashfeen Malik, 27, his wife or fiancee.
Burguan said Farook was born in the United States; the chief said he did not know Malik’s background.
The attackers invaded the Inland Regional Center about 60 miles east of Los Angeles at around 11am (local time), opening fire in a conference area where county health officials were having an employee banquet, said Marybeth Feild, president and CEO of the nonprofit centre.
“They came prepared to do what they did, as if they were on a mission,” Burguan said.
Farook attended the event before leaving — and returning to kill.
Co-worker Patrick Baccari said he was sitting at the same table as Farook, who suddenly disappeared, leaving his coat on his chair.
Baccari said when the shooting started, he sought refuge in a bathroom and suffered minor wounds from shrapnel slicing through the wall.
Shooter was ‘reserved’
Baccari described Farook as reserved and said he showed no signs of unusual behavior. Earlier this year he traveled to Saudi Arabia and returned with a wife, later growing a beard, Baccari said.
The FBI is investigating several possible motives, including workplace violence and terrorism, according to David Bowdich, assistant director of the bureau’s Los Angeles office.
He did not elaborate.
Farook was a restaurant inspector for the health department, according to public records.
Police chief Burguan said he had been a county employee for five years.
The couple dropped off their 6-month-old daughter with relatives yesterday morning, saying they had a doctor’s appointment, Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said after talking with family.
Farhan Khan, who is married to Farook’s sister, told reporters he last spoke to his brother-in-law about a week ago.
He said he was in shock, condemned the violence, and had “absolutely no idea why he would do this”.
SUV
About four hours after the morning carnage, police hunting for the killers riddled a black SUV with gunfire in a shootout 2 miles from the social services centre in this Southern California city of 214,000 people.
Farook and Malik were found with assault rifles and semi-automatic handguns, and were wearing “assault-style clothing” with ammunition attached, authorities said.
Television news helicopters captured the aftermath, as officers slowly approached the mangled SUV.
That the violence happened at a place dedicated to helping people with developmental disabilities — even if they were not targeted — made it even harder for some to comprehend.
“These are all disabled kids, very disabled,” said Sherry Esquerra, who was searching for her daughter and son-in-law, both of whom work at the centre.
“She gets all the services she possibly could for these kids. So I just don’t understand why somebody would come in and start shooting.”
According to its web page, the centre has a client base of more than 30,000 people and their families. It is a privately run nonprofit, the largest of its kind in California with about 670 employees.
FBI agents and other law enforcement authorities converged on the centre and searched room to room for the attackers. Triage units were set up outside, and people were wheeled away on stretchers.
Seventeen people were wounded, according to authorities. Ten were hospitalised in critical condition, and three were in serious condition, Fire Chief Tom Hannemann said.
President Barack Obama urged the country to take steps to reduce mass shootings, including stricter gun laws and stronger background checks.
“The one thing we do know is that we have a pattern now of mass shootings in this country that has no parallel anywhere else in the world,” Obama told CBS.
Federal authorities said that the two assault rifles and two handguns used in the violence were purchased legally, but they haven’t said how and when they got into the hands of the two shooters.
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They dropped their 6month dauhter to relatives…. They thought killing people was more important than being parents to their child. That makes me sick. Some people don’t deserve kids…
Anyone can have kids but not everyone can be parents.
14 people dead and them being bad parents makes you sick
The baby will be better off being adopted by less psychotic parents.
It’s a shame they were armed with guns and not logic. This is what religion does. It turns people into psychotic delusional wastes.
Well to be fair it’s mostly their religion.
Sounds like just another radicalised Islamic nutter on the war path. Can sense the devastation amongst the media that this was a Muslim attack.
There is no evidence that this was a “Muslim attack” but your desire that it be such is plainly evident. There are other potential motivations.
Where did the perpetrators get the guns? Who sold or supplied the guns to them? These are important questions yet to be answered.
You can sense the devastation in the media? Care to point out examples of this?
Where did the Paris attackers get their guns? Does it matter? Terrorists will get their hands on weapons legal or otherwise. Incidentally California has some of America’s most restrictive gun laws and Semi-automatic firearms that the state has classified as assault weapons and magazines that can hold more than ten rounds of ammunition may not be sold in California. Possession of automatic firearms, and of short-barreled shotguns and rifles, is generally prohibited also.
Oisin, the French terrorist attacks are not necessarily connected. In the case of the Paris atrocities, the illegal arms were supplied illegally by an illegal German arms dealer who is white and from German Christian background. The source of the weapons is a vitally important consideration.
It’s the USA you can buy guns anywhere.That’s the elephant in the room
Hi Fiona, there is no evidence it’s not, but I notice you say “Muslim attack”
Bit broad isn’t it????
I’ve seen a report that Farook went to Saudi Arabia and came back with a wife, and whats this about the media calling the event a “HOLIDAY” party?, ffs it was a staff Christmas party.
@David S. ……Are you Myopic or what? ISLAM is the elephant in the room.
Are you getting hard Patrick?
I’m afraid I’ll have to see more evidence first.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEfn065PkCQ
Strange that the US seems to be the only country in the world that has these type of mass shootings?
Anyone see any blood yet………
Where they got the guns is unimportant. People with a motiveout to kill will get guns somehow, even if they live in Antarctica…Your point?
Spot on Girl.
In Paris, the only ones that were armed were the bad guys.
Palestinians are using knives and cars. While the source of the weapons is operationally important, the really important issue is motivation. But motivation may not give PC loons the opportunity to deflect, so they wont focus on it
Fiona. Do you realise how politically correct you are attempting to be? Grow some balls and see the threat you are protecting. If a family member of yours was subjected to the cruelty of this abhorrent group I’m sure you would change your tune. Let’s hope we can stand together and defeat this attack on our way of life!
Fiona, let’s not use this attack to demonize all gun owners on account of a few bad apples. The vast majority of gun owners are good peace-loving people. Let’s remember it was gun owners who took these people down and reports were saying at least one gun owner was a victim of this attack also. #tinyminority.
Can you show evidence that the weapons used in paris were supplied by a german white christian, with a christian background? i doubt it, where is the link? everyone knows these weapons came in from bosnia. your attempts to smear christians is very telling.
Media already beginning to spin this as “workplace violence”.
You’re making the same mistake all over again,”Oisin” ..Overkill ,lad.Poor pet!
Fiona, u seem to know a lot about the source of the guns for the Paris atrocities, and exactly how can you say this?? he was a German with Christian background, would you know this through the media?? the same place everyone else is getting there info!!! and again how do you know these attacks are not connected, the fact is there names give it away there Muslims! what other explanation is there they were unhappy in the workplace, being bullied?? I don’t think so, bit extreme if so, but then again that’s just another name for them. killing innocent people for nothing for a made up thing (religion) all a load of books wrote when people had no knowledge of the world, what evidence is there that there is a god or an ala???? all of these people are dying in vain..
Handy that SWAT was running a drill nearby.
Groundhog day.
Omg he grew out his beard.
Male hipsters beware.
Bopter; ‘he grew out his beard’ may seem like an innocuous thing to you but for some Muslims is a sign of their faith and piousness. People are growing increasingly tired of being misled by the liberal media….
The fact he became increasingly religious and was described as a ‘devout’ Muslim by his father may be relevant, the recent trip to Saudi also….
Beliefs have consequences; only in Islam do we hear about martyrdom and jihad. The idea that murder and violence gets you to ‘Jannah’ and so on…
But no doubt we will be lied to again, after all the Ford Hood attacker was labelled ‘workplace violence’ even as he shouted Allah Akbar!
Most Muslims are peaceful but we need to face reality that a certain strain of Islam has shown itself to be extremely violent.
@D – that ‘certain strain’ is called Islam.
@The Dude, are you seriously suggesting that 1.6 billion Muslims are all terrorists just because of their religion? So, does that make all Christians gin toting madmen who go around shooting people because they don’t agree with abortion? Generalizing and stirring up fear and hatred towards other people must be all in a day’s work for you.
@Larissa obviously you missed the part where he said most Muslims are peaceful.
But I understand it’s hard to see the wood from the trees when you’re trying to score points!
@Larissa – You need to learn to separate the ideological doctrine of Islam from the average nominal Muslim. If you can manage that, you may be able to understand my comments more accurately into the future.
Incidentally – Christian doctrine, unlike Islamic doctrine – does not advocate killing anyone. I think it’s safe to conclude therefore that the person you refer to was not a Christian and was probably disturbed.
Somebody on the other thread said the woman is from Saudi Arabia and I read on another site that she was from Qatar.
On other sites, she is said to be a US citizen who was employed as a pharmacist.
One common link is of course Islam.
There may have been no religious motivation or terrorist dimension. The position is open for now.
Oisin, the common link between the shooter at Planned Parenthood, Alexander Breivik, the Oklahoma Bomber and the KKK is Christianity, so what’s your point?
I can count on one hand there Larissa, you would need a 1000 centipedes to count the Islamic related terror attacks.
As for the KKK?, a barely functioning organisation, try these Islamic groups as a comparison or should we say no comparison?.
Al Qaeda, Al Shabaab, Boko Haram, the Taliban and of course ISIS among scores more of similar groups of Islamic terror organisations, yes your comparison with Christianity makes perfect sense?.
Anders Brevik is not a Christian. Timothy McVeigh was a lapsed Catholic, though his terrorism had nothing to do with religion. You try to find a mainstream religious group to defend the KKK or the PP shooter, or even try blame the actions of PP as a motivator like many mainstream Islamists did re- Charlie Hebdo.
Whether the Left want to admit it or not, radical Islam is a serious problem. It doesn’t exist because of the West, it doesn’t exist because Muslims are “oppressed”. It exists because a significant number of Muslims subscribe to the ideology of Islamism, which is eternally hostile to anything but Islamic supremacy (even if it is a “moderate” version of Islam, such as espoused by the Muslim Brotherhood). And a small, but not insignificant number of that subset are willing to engage in violence to achieve such supremacy.
Hence we have Islamically motivated, and Quranically justified (at least via a Salafist interpretation) attacks. Such attacks are then seized upon by opportunistic Islamists to push their agenda of Islamification under the guise of “community cohesion”. And they are applauded by the useful kafirs on the Left, who have no idea of the insidious nature of Islamists. They elevate these thugs at the expense of true moderates. I would genuinely ask people to read “Radical” by Maajid Nawaz or “The Islamist” by Ed Hussain to truly understand Islamism.
In understanding the Islamist agenda, it is worth considering the meaning of the word “Islam” itself. One translation is “submission”, the other is “peace”. And therein lies the Islamist mindset. If you submit, you’ll have peace,if not….
In your mind maybe. multiple shootings of unarmed people, some in wheelchairs has a terrorist dimension, regardless of what you think Fiona.
32,000 + die from gun related violence in the US a year, and this is conservative as not all gun deaths are logged, the injured are not counted in this. More people die in the US from gun related deaths that traffic accidents, that is crazy. Yet restricting gun laws is a no go. I cannot or never will understand this mentality. It provides easy access to extremely dangerous arms for criminals, terrorists, on any deranged person who is off there head and feels like going into a school or in this case a day care center and murdering say 20 or so people.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2015/08/26/americas-gun-violence-problem-in-three-charts/
@dude – Please use another avatar name. I have been using ‘The Dude’ on this site regularly for a long time now. You are going to cause confusion.
will do it can take time to change but should happen in a day or two, although you do have the photo.
@dude – Many thanks. Neither one of us would want our opinions to be misrepresented by one another on the comments sections – this would easily happen using the same name.
Kind regards.
@ Dudes
The most amicable Internet exchange I’ve ever seen. Kudos haha
Or guns that no private individual should be allowed get their hands on
California has some of the strictest gun control laws in the United States. Automatic weapons are banned, many semi-automatic weapons are banned and handguns are effectively in the process of being banned.
If people said this about a mass shooting in Alabama, Ohio or Alaska then you’d have a point. California actually makes some European countries look like gun havens in comparison.
Why are u wearing make up and dressed like a woman? Weirdo
Didn’t help yesterday as guns used legally purchased. There are plenty of gun shops and gun nuts in California who can purchase a gun anytime they want. Caliber doesn’t matter as 31 people were shot in a matter of minutes. That is carnage committed with legally owned weapon in California. I live in California and it’s getting worse by the day.
Wow , fair play guys , you’s both handled that very well .
@Druid – I’m sure that can be arranged, if you like.
@Suzie – Wow – thanks Suzie.
@Conor – Thanks man. It’s nice to show respect to other commenters when possible.
“If people said this about a mass shooting in Alabama, Ohio or Alaska then you’d have a point. California actually makes some European countries look like gun havens in comparison.”
Bullshit ,Jason
Just saw Paddy’s response below to you ..he has explained it perfectly ..
This was NOT a spur of the moment attack. This had been planned in advance hence the 3 Pipe Bombs deactivated by the Police and the copious amount of ammo found. And although not officially confirmed yet this has all the hallmarks of another Boston style attack.
Yesterday this was “3 white people in ski masks”. Obviously that was made up by the media to further encourage a white versus black agenda because some of the victims were black. These people should be accountable for what they report
Or take the news with what it is.. Allegedly …. Believed to be are terms usually associated with stories like these … What they provide are reports .. Not facts
Our resident newstalk SJW Chris Donoghue has already solved the motive. It has nothing to do with Islam and was just a workplace dispute, he said so with absolute confidence this morning
Chris might find China that the workplace was the easy target but the main motivation was “Islam”?.
America is more susceptible to loan wolf Jihads because of the easy access to all sorts of weapons.
Why is our media infested with morons? Is it only naive ideologues who sign up for media studies courses or do these courses turn them into that?
if this amount of mass shootings happened anywhere else in the world the US government would advise its own citizens not to travel to that country.
Go research your comment to see how ridiculous it is.
Islam , the underlying factor the police are looking for.
Would have never happened if they were all packing heat… #NRALogic.
The motivation for the attack is not yet established. It may or may not have had a terrorist. Most such attacks arise from intense work grievances.
You sound like Obama after the fort hood terrorist attack. You’d be singing a different tune if it was a middle age white Tea Party supporter. #MuslimApologist
I would prefer to know the actual motivation first.
Oisin, you sound like an ultra right wing nutter but that may only be the impression you are giving. You may actually be a peaceful and balanced human being who is objective and not prejudiced. Or maybe not.
give it up fiona ffs radical Islamic headcases
Fiona, I agree that the motive is not clear as of yet. But the fact that the shooters had body armour and assault rifles shows an element of pre meditation and planning. Also, he may have had a work grievance but why would his wife/partner have become involved in the way she did?
Lets be honest lads their is agents at play here that are away above our situation solving heads. The people selling the guns to idiotic brainwashed americans are going to be the same people pushing to have them confiscated off them. End game more violence more militirisation of civilian domain.
Two outcomes from the wave of random sporadic totally unlinked massacres occurring in the U.S on a almost weekly basis. The american public yield to the gun culture insanity and give up their arms to an ever increasing militirised police force feds army and intelligence agencies at the risk of state tyranny. Written in their constitution. Or they defy public opinion in other countries some public opinion in their own country and not only keep them but gear themselves up with more citing the eventual confiscation by the government which will lead to mini civil wars breaking out across the country. Cant see any other way this will end. Violence had become so part of their everyday culture rational thought and peaceful means is alien to them.
This happened in a state where gun control is stricter than many EU states. It helps to research the gun laws in the state where this happened before immediately going on a ‘gun control’ rant.
There were 185,000 guns sold in the United States on Black Friday this year. This situation is only going to get worse. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/12/03/us/black-friday-gun-sales-soared-fbi-data-shows.html?_r=0&referer=
Yeah, cause there’s only 320 million registered people in the good ‘Ole USof A and only bad people buy guns , Crim’s don’t follow rules…idiot, NY times , on par with the J.ie
A country with a gun ownership level of over 1 gun per man, woman or child. A country with a homicide rate three times that of our own, nearly four times that of the UK, and 2.5 times that of it’s own neighbour, Canada.
It isn’t only bad people who buy guns, but when bad people do have guns so readily available to them, it makes it easier to kill people.
@Marcus.O’C. …..Right after the Paris Muslim killing spree on the concert goers showed a spike in gun sales. Americans have long since given up on believing in the advice of ‘The Mole in the Whitehouse’, and they are, unlike Europeans, intent on protecting themselves.
Patrick, Regarding gun sales in Austria. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3291978/Shotguns-virtually-sold-Austria-citizens-rush-buy-arms-amid-fears-massive-influx-migrants-dealers-claim.html
@bingo…..Thanks for that link to a revealing article that is very reassuring indeed. I stand corrected in that there is a few states in Europe who will not go under without a fight and are preparing to defend themselves.
My pessimism was set off after reading an article by Philosopher/writer Guy Milliere in an article published in Gatestone over a week ago. To be alive witnessing the possible slow death of what was once a great and proud European nation is cause for concern to say the least.
.
.—”France’s political leaders are apparently hoping that people will get used to being attacked and learn to live with terrorism. In the meantime, they are trying to divert the attention of the public with — “climate change!—”
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6994/new-french-resistance
Patrick, They have seen much more of the migrant crisis than we have – and when you look at what is happening in Europe now and outside it – I’m not surprised people are buying guns….they are simply taking on more than they can control and they don’t know who many of them are. But I should have said – ultimately I think your pessimism is well founded.
All set up to bring in martial law and gun control,suspects nearly always die https://youtu.be/P2ZhQrWQj7k
Fema will help America soon
Doesn’t make any sense, they must be a sleeper cell that jumped the gun because he lost it at the christmas party. If they are, there is probably other fireteams in California or on the way there.
I think the journal could have omitted the beard line. Has no relevance to the story and only serves to incite prejudice.
It’s an important detail. You now want to stop the media reporting ‘facts’ in case it may cause prejudice against bearded people? Anything you’d like the reporting to leave out?
So should we arrest anyone with a beard now, Pepper?
You can be on a security watch list that’s states it’s a risk to let you fly on a plane but still legally buy a gun??? Emmmmm why??
Not in California you can’t…
Yes, you can still legally own a gun, even in California, only assault rifles are banned. The process of obtaining a gun license in California may be a bit stricter, but no-one is saying you’re not allowed to own a gun.
I never said you’re not allowed to own a gun although it is a lot stricter than you make it out to be.
Firstly, as you correctly mentioned, assault rifles along with automatic weapons in general are fully banned. Semi-automatic rifles are also banned if they fit into the ‘assault weapon’ category which is a set of arbitrary rules based around accessories. Handguns are also difficult to acquire and the Californian state is currently being sued by handgun manufacturers due to the sheer level of difficulty involved in getting a new handgun design certified for sale.
Jason, will you stfu about the gun laws in California if there so strict how did they get them?? bring them in on a plane!! fact is it happened there, regardless of how strict cali is about guns its not working.. in America as a whole you can just drive to another state and lets face it theres loads of them buy one there drive back into cali. get over the gun laws there will ye theres bigger things happening!!
You’ve hit the proverbial nail on the head,Paddy!!
You drive to Nevada and fill up your boot ..
The solution will probably be to arm disabled people.
have your say