At least 14 people were killed and two suspects were dead Wednesday after up to three people on a mission that authorities described as "possibly terrorism" barged into a holiday party in a California conference room and unleashed a bloodbath.
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The shooter or shooters fled in a black SUV after the shooting about at 11 a.m. (2 p.m. ET), police said. A bomb squad was still examining a suspicious device believed to be an explosive at the scene late Wednesday afternoon, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said.
About 4½ hours after the shootings, police checking a lead in the nearby town of Redlands began chasing a car believed to be related to the incident, Burguan said. The chase led back to San Bernardino, where two people described as suspects — a man and a woman — were killed, he said.
Investigators were also carefully reviewing material at that scene as a possible explosive or explosives, Burguan said.
A third person who was seen running away from the scene was in custody, Burguan said. Investigators were also carefully reviewing material at that scene as a possible explosive or explosives, Burguan said.
The dead suspects were dressed in "assault-style clothing" and were carrying assault-style weapons and handguns, Burguan said. He said an officer was shot in the confrontation but didn't suffer a life-threatening wound and was expected to be OK.
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Multiple sources from multiple agencies identified one of the three attackers at the resource center to NBC News as Syed Farook. No other information was available, but a knowledgeable source said another member of the trio is believed to be Farook's brother. The identity of the woman was unknown.
David Bowdich, the FBI's assistant director in Los Angeles, said the incident was being regarded as "possibly terrorism." He wouldn't elaborate.
In addition to the 14 dead:
- The shooting erupted during a holiday party in a conference room.
- At least 10 of 17 wounded are in critical condition.
- Police shot two suspects after a high-speed chase in a shootout hours later.
- One of the suspects was killed.
- A police officer was wounded in the shootout.
Seventeen other people were wounded when the shooting started inside the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, about 55 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, police said. Authorities said 10 of the 17 injured were taken to hospitals in critical condition. Fire Chief Tom Hannemann said three people were in serious condition.
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It appeared to be the worst mass shooting since the December 2012 slaughter of 20 first-graders and six staffers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
"These people came prepared to do what they did as if they were on a mission," Burguan said. "They were armed with long guns, not with handguns."
Burguan added, "The suspects have fled."
"We don't yet have a motive," the chief said, adding that the getaway vehicle was a black SUV of some kind. Burguan warned that the death toll could climb as investigators continued to search the building. "This is a tragedy," he said.
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