Mass Shooting In California

At least 14 people have been killed after a mass shooting at a disability centre in San Bernardino, California. Live updates below (all times NZ).

• Police in high-speed chase with shooting spree suspects
• Suspect down and officer injured after stand-off
• Police say shooters were 'prepared' and carrying 'long guns'
• No apparent motive and FBI can't say if it was terrorist attack

 

Live stream below:

 

 

2.44pm: San Bernardino police chief Jarrod Burguan is now addressing reporters at a live news conference in San Bernardino.

He said two suspects, a man and a woman, were killed in a shootout with police.

He also said "an explosive device" was found in one of the buildings.

The suspects were dressed in "assault-style" clothing and armed with assault rifles and hand guns.

Officials will not say if the attack was "terrorism".

The FBI was assisting with investigations.

2.32pm: At a live news conference in San Bernardino, Loma Linda University Medical Centre public information officer Briana Pastorino said five adult patients were taken to the hospital following the shooting.

"Of those five, two are critical but stable, two are fair and one is still being assessed. All five remain in the hospital."

She said the hospital and university campus were put on alert after a bomb threat was received.

The threat was later deemed not credible.

The hospital was not on alert for any extra patients, she said.

"We are all shaken by this, we are bothered by it and I think that we should all go home tonight to our loved ones and just understand that this could happen at any time."

Staff were working to make sure the victims "could return home to their families," she said.

"We are treating these people that didn't need to get hurt today."

Sirens were audible in the background of the news conference.

2.27pm: The New York Times is reporting that investigators believe there were three gunmen and one of them had worked at the facility and recently had a dispute with fellow employees, according to law enforcement officials.

"A witness has told police that although the gunmen had their faces covered, one of them sounded and appeared very similar to an employee who had left the facility earlier in the day," the Timesr reported.

2.19pm: Police are serving a search warrant on a home in Redlands, California, in connection with the deadly shooting at a social services facility in neighboring San Bernardino.

City spokesman Carl Baker says Redlands police are assisting San Bernardino police in the search connected to the Wednesday morning shooting that killed at least 14 people and wounded more than a dozen others.

An Associated Press reporter watched as a half-dozen vehicles carrying helmeted police drove into the area. One officer carrying an assault rifle ordered reporters to clear the area, and an armored vehicle parked outside a row of homes.

The action followed a gunbattle between occupants of an SUV and San Bernardino police not far from the original shooting scene.

2.02pm: DISPUTE AT PARTY MAY HAVE SPARKED SHOOTINGS

A senior federal officer has told the LA Times that a dispute at a holiday gathering at the center may have sparked the mass shooting.

The unnamed official who is said to be monitoring the incident, said authorities believed "one of the shooters left the party after getting into an argument and returned with one or two armed companions".

The shooting took place in a large conference room on the grounds of the Inland Regional Center. It had been privately hired for a group function.

1.58pm: These numbers show the scale of the gun control problem in the US. The FBI processed two firearm background checks per second on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day in the US, last week.

The agency ran a record 185,345 background checks on Black Friday, about 5 per cent more than the amount processed through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System on that day in 2014.

The figure that is seen as a strong indicator of how many guns were sold.

However, about 40 percent of all gun sales are through unlicensed sellers in America, so it is likely that figure probably underestimated how many firearms actually changed hands, Johns Hopkins Centre for Gun Policy and Research co-director Jon Vernick says.

1.48pm: San Bernardino police chief Jarrod Burguan is expected to hold another press conference soon. We'll have live updates here.

1.38pm: The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health has confirmed that several of its employees were inside a social services facility when gunmen opened fire.

The department says on a verified county Twitter account that it's not releasing any more information because of the ongoing investigation and out of respect for the victims.

Authorities say the shooting killed at least 14 people and wounded more than a dozen others at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.

The health department says it will be providing services to its employees and their families.

Sheela Stark, of the Inland Regional Center, says the centre has two large buildings that require a badge to get in.

However, the conference room where many public events take place - including a banquet that was taking place during the shooting - was usually left open when they were expecting visitors.

Marybeth Feild, the president and CEO of the centre, said the shooting happened in a conference area where the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health was having a banquet. The centre employs more than 600 people.

1.25pm: San Bernardino police have confirmed that one suspect was killed during the shoot-out. Another is in custody after trying to flee while the third was wounded and captured in the SUV.

But it is unclear how many more suspects or people connected with the shooting police are looking for.

One police officer was also shot but police say his injury "is not life threatening".

1.20pm: While police carry on work at the scene of the initial shooting and the pursuit other teams are still involved in a stand off at a residential property.

SWAT and police teams are the house on Gould St, not far from where the pursuit ended.
Earlier police went to a private radio channel to organise units to go to a residential address believed to be connected to the suspects.

They did not want address made public at the time. However since then photographs of armed and bulletproof-vested officers at the house have appeared on news sites and on social media.

1.08pm: Police have confirmed that all suspects in the high-speed chase are either wounded or in custody.

"We have spoken to all units involved in the pursuit. We have accounted for all of the bodies that were in the vehicle," an officer told the dispatcher on the police radio.

12.56pm: More on the shoot-out after the high-speed chase:

The officer injured in the shoot-out has been taken to hospital. He has gunshot wounds but it is unclear how badly injured he is or how many times he was shot.

A suspect has been seen on the second level of a building. Police are going into the building and hoping to flush him out.

A body now appears to be lying next to the SUV the suspects were travelling in.

Armed police are examining the vehicle. Road blocks are still in place and other units are chasing the remaining suspect.

It has been reported that all suspects have either been shot or arrested but cops are still on the hunt for one person.

12.54pm: The Twitter account of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has posted a message about the shootings.

"Mass shootings are becoming an almost-everyday occurrence in this country. This sickening and senseless gun violence must stop."

12.38pm: POLICE CHASE SUMMARY

• Police say multiple shots were fired after a high-speed chase involving a dark-colored SUV.
• It appears two suspects have been shot and a third is in custody. One of the injured suspects is "still breathing" and was found with an assault rifle strapped to his chest.
• A police officer was also shot.
• As units pursued the suspects' vehicle one of the men fired at them from the back window.
• A pipe bomb was found on San Bernadino Ave which runs parallel to Almond Ave. Police there are clearing the street.

12.35pm: The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has just tweeted that the number of wounded has risen from 14 to 17. The number of dead remains at 14.

12.25pm: BREAKING - HIGH-SPEED CHASE

A police officer appears to have been shot during the pursuit. Other officers are moving towards the car to "check on the bodies". "Be prepared," he has warned all units.

Another suspect has been located on Almond Ave and is said to be in custody.

"There's a dude in the back seat... laying flat on his back... looks like he's still breathing. He's got and assault rifle strapped to his chest," a cop said over the radio.

Meanwhile a pipe bomb has been found near where the pursuit ended.

12.16pm:BREAKING - HIGH-SPEED CHASE

Police are calling for a "bear cat" - an armoured utility vehicle - to join the pursuit. A police chopper has also joined and an officer is positioned in the back with a rifle.

Police officers can be heard shouting at each other in the background of the radio. Gun shots can be heard and one officer is screaming "hold your fire".

Police are frantically trying to clear traffic from the area.

The "suspect vehcile" has stopped. "Right now we have one down outside the car, one down inside the car and from what we understand one's on the run."

12.08pm:BREAKING - HIGH-SPEED CHASE

Cops are pursuing a man in a vehicle who is travelling at high speed. It is unknown if the vehicle is related to the shooting but it is a dark-coloured Chevy truck, similar to a dark SUV one of the gunmen was seen fleeing the scene in.

Shots have been fired at police out the back window of the truck.

Police pursuing the truck have confirmed to dispatchers that shots have been fired at officers.

"Multiple shots fire," an officer has shouted into the scanner.

"We need medical aid."

12.08pm: Police are still chasing up possible sightings of the shooters. Officers are currently converging on a black SUV with Utah state licence plates parked in an area of San Bernadino. Three men were earlier seen in the truck, described as being brand new - either a 2014 or 2015 model.

12.05pm: This graph will show you the extent of the United States' gun problem:

12.00pm: MAP: Where the shootings took place

11.57am: The shootings will once again bring the issue of gun to the fore in America. Shockingly, though, California has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the United States.

According to the California State Law Summary, all gun sales must be processed through licensed dealers requiring a background check, all gun dealers must obtain a state license in order to sell firearms, and most assault weapons are banned. The state maintains a permanent record of firearm sales and was the first state to require handgun microchipping.

In 2013, California had the lowest number of gun deaths across the United States. These moves to regulate came after an epidemic of handgun violence in the 1980s and 1990s.

11.55am:The BBC has just started their report on the San Bernardino shootings by saying: "Just another day in the United States of America..."

11.42am: Lieutenant Rich Lawhead, of the San Bernardino Police, said officers would go through the centre and events "very methodically" as part of the investigation. "We're still trying to talk to a number of eye witnesses," he told CNN.

There were lots of rumours around, but police were yet to confirm a lot of the information yet, he said.

Meanwhile, police have set up a destination for family memebers to reunited with relatives trapped inside the Regional Center and then evacuated by school bus.

11.30am: A vehicle has been found with mulitple weapons inside near the scene of the shooting.

An officer at the scene said the grey Chrysler mini van was abandoned at the golf course.

Across the city police are responding to multiple calls about suspicious cars.

Police have also put out a call for civilians and media to keep well clear of the crime scene. One security guard "wandered through the middle of everything", an officer reported.

11.25am: MORE FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE

Answering questions about terrorism, SBPD chief Jarrod Burguan said: "We do not know where the suspects are. We have no information at this point to indicate it's terrorist related" in the traditional sense. At minimum we have a domestic type terrorist situation that occurred here."

The shooters "came prepared to do what they did, as if they were on a mission", he said.

He added: "They came in with a purpose, they came in with the intent to do something."

Police officers who responded "did not engage or exchange gunfire with anybody", Mr Burguan said.

The police chief said the police department would provide a media update every hour, on the hour, over the course of the afternoon.

11.10am:FROM THE POLICE PRESS CONFERENCE

SBPD chief Jarrod Burguan said police received a call about a shooting around 11am local time. "It was quickly apprent we had an active shooting situation," he said.

A "massive law enforcement response" included "vitually every law enforcement agency in the area". Up to three people entered the building and opened fire, he said.

There were "upwards of 14 people dead", and 14 people injured, he said. Those were preliminary numbers he stressed. The injured had been taken to hospital. "This is a tragedy."

The suspects had fled the scene, "potentially in a dark coloured SUV". Police were not aware of a motive at this point, he said.

An FBI spokesman said the agency was there to make sure all the wounded were extracted and public safety was a priority.

The FBI and law enforcement agencies would "do everything in our power to find and apprehend these suspects", he said. "We do not know" if this is a terrorist incident, he said.

The victims were all centrally located in one area of the facility, Mr Burguan said. There were both state and county employees, and other workers, in the centre.

There was "no information that any children were involved", he said.

The shooters were "people who came prepared", he said, indicating they were "dressed and equipped in a way that they were prepared".

They had "long guns, not handguns", he said, but they did not know what type of guns they were.

No weapons had been recovered at this point, he said.

Addressing concerns about a possible bomb in the building, Mr Burguan said law enforcement found "some things in the building that were not immediately identifiable" which "caused some concern".

"We do not know if they were planted by the suspects, we do no know if they are bombs or not, that needs to be looked at more closely."

10.56am: Maybeth Feild, president and CEO of Inland Regional Centre, said the shooting took place in a conference area that an outside group was renting, AP reported. She did not know the identity of the group.

The building houses at least 25 employees as well as a library and conference centre, she said.

10.52am: In an interview with CBS News, President Barack Obama reiterates that there are too many shooting incidents in the US.

He said he was waiting for more details and could not say who was responsible or why the shootings took place, but did say the FBI was at the scene.

CBS White House correspondent, Mark Knoller, is tweeting about the interview with Obama.

He wrote: "Pres Obama again says Congress can do more to prevent gun violence. Laments that people on TSA No Fly List can still buy a gun."

10.42am: The Guardian is quoting an official at the San Bernardino county sheriff's office as saying they there are "possibly 12" fatalities. No confirmations yet, though.

10.42am: San Bernardino Police Department has urged people to avoid the scene of the shooting.

"@SanBernardinoPD will be holding a press conference at Waterman and Vanderbilt at 1:45pm [10.45am NZT]," he tweeted.

10.42am: Lavinia Johnson, executive director of Inland Regional Centre, described to CNN the moment she learned of the shooters.

"The fire alarm was pulled and we thought it was a fire drill," she said, but when they got outside staff were told to get back inside and "lock our offices".

"There was an active shooter and we need to stay and get behind locked doors. We stayed in until police came in and evacuated us."

She said she was "very concerned about my staff".

The Inland Regional Centre leases offices in the facility to other organisations, she said, and she believed San Bernardino health rented the building where the incident happened this morning, when "one to three shooters walked into that situation and fired at people".

10.35am: More powerful images from the scene of the shooting.

Emergency services treat victims on the tarmac as police issued alerts to find as many as three shooters.
Two women comfort each other after the mass shooting. Police have said that there were deaths but have not said how many.

10.15am: REPORTS OF MORE SHOTS FIRED AT NEARBY MALL

Police have reported an "unknown number of shots" being fired at the Waterman Discount Mall, close to the scene of the original shooting.

A man has been spotted wearing military fatigues in the area and police are converging on the building. Another wearing a head set, tactical shorts and a backpack has also been spotted.

"He has a long beard, camouflage-type shorts... the witness said. He's pretty upset," an officer told the dispatcher.

Trains are being stopped in the San Bernadino and police are chasing up a number of sightings of a black SUV that one of the shooters may have fled the scene in.

The mall is being evacuated as police hunt for at least one armed man seen in the building.

10.15am: An image from the scene of the shooting:

Emergency services attend to the wounded at the scene of the shooting.

10.08am: A country sheriff's department spokeswoman told local media there was a report of shooters leaving in a black SUV, "but I don't know if that's confirmed".

"It appears there is more than one shooter ... I don't know all the details yet," she said.

Police officers were going through all the buildings in the facility, removing all the people, she said.

Any witnesses would be taken to a separate facility to be interviewed. She did not have any information about whether the centre had received any direct threats this morning, the spokeswoman said.

Survivors of the shooting were being taken to a centre at a local park, where family members were advised to go to be reunited, she said.

The police advice was to avoid the area around the shooting.

"We're doing the best we can and we'll get everybody reunited," she said. "Hopefully they'll be able to get through on phones, and know that their loved ones are OK."

10.08am: THIS FROM AP:

Police have confirmed that people have died in the shooting.

San Bernardino police spokeswoman Vicki Cervantes said: "There are multiple casualties and there are some confirmed fatalities."

She says she doesn't have specific numbers.She told the television station that it appears there was more than one shooter. She believed that the shooters were wearing "military-style" attire.

9.58am: A hospital close to the scene of the shooting is treating eight victims. There were reports that even the hospitals in the area were on lockdown, CNN reports.

Dr Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical corespondent, said: "We know this area has good trauma hospitals."

9.52am: A photo of text message sent from one of the victims:

9.50am: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has commented on the shooting, tweeting: "I refuse to accept this as normal. We must take action to stop gun violence now."

9.45am: Elizabeth Mendieta, who works across the street at an agency for the blind, said the children and senior citizens at her facility were safe.

"We're OK, we're just across the street from where all the events are happening, we're in lockdown by order of the police," she told CNN. "All of our students are safe."

Staff had been given very little information about what was happening, she said.

"They just told us to lock all the doors, do not let anybody in or out," she said. "We're just waiting for instructions."

9.45am: A witness told CNN the suspects fled in a black SUV. The shooters were dressed in black and wearing body armour.

Witnesses also reported hearing a series of shots. It sounded like "boom, boom, boom, boom boom", one woman said on CNN.

9.40am: Planned Parenthood in San Bernardino have told local media that despite some reports, it was not the location of the shooting. Last week three people were fatally shot at a Colorado Planned Parenthood Clinic.

9.39am: The White House has confirmed that US President Barack Obama has been briefed by the Homeland Security adviser.

9.37am: Terry Pettit's daughter was inside the centre when the shooting started. She sent him a text message as she hid from the shooter. Mr Pettit read the message to CNN:

"She said someone had come in and started shooting. They ran into an office and she's hiding with some other people. Our friend's daughter is in there too. They are both hiding."

Mr Pettit read his daughter's text, visibly shaken as police cars whizzed past with sirens blaring. "It says 'shooting at my work. People shot in the office. Waiting for cops. Pray for us. I am locked in an office'. That's it..."

9.36am: More on the scene of the shooting.

The Inland Regional Center is a facility for people with developmental disabilities. According to the centre's Facebook page, it aims to "work on a personal, one-on-one basis with people with developmental disabilities to make their lives better as they define it."

9.35am: Newton Fernandez, an international student who's been in California for almost a year, lives five minutes away from the incident. He told the Herald via Facebook message:

"Loma Linda University Hospital are accepting patients and the situation is still being reported as an "active shooter" situation. My school operates 20 miles away. People are advised to stay indoors. Businesses are in lock down. Major streets are completely closed to public access. Media are prohibited from showing the building. Reports coming in of 1-3 shooters dressed in tactical gear."

 

9.32am: A woman from the county sheriff's department said the shooters were "heavily armed" and "possibly wearing body armour".

There were as many as three shooters.

A man told CNN that police were checking the scene for the possibility of a bomb.

9.30am: Kristin Krause, who works at a school around a mile away from the shooting scene, said the school was "in lockdown".

There were around 450 primary aged students at her school, she told CNN.

"Our number one priority is to protect the children," she said.

"We're trying to make sure parents know we're fine, we're protected."
The school was "pretty secured", she said.

"We're doing everything we can to make sure our kids are protected and calm, is the main thing."

Ms Krause said her school had students that attended the Inland Regional centre, for special educational needs.

9.29am: CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton reports that a law enforcement source said that a bomb squad is in the process of attempting to neutralize an apparent explosive device left at the scene.

9.23am: A swat team arrives.

People are evacuated by law enforcement agencies from the Inland Regional Centre. Photo / AP

9.22am: It is unclear how many people were at the San Bernardino facility at the time of the shooting.

The centre's website has crashed, but CNN reported it employs nearly 670 staff at its facilities in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, providing services to more than 30,200 people.

9.18am: Officers at the scene referring to suspicious device as an "IED" ... improvised explosive device. First responders are being told to keep their distance from the south building.

9.16am: Reported from police scanner, via Yahoo: Bomb technicians say the suspicious device is "out of the norm". Officers evacuating the building now. Will use a robot to remove the possible explosive.

Witnesses are now telling police at the scene that there were three gunmen. "They said without a doubt there were three with long rifles," officer says over police radio.

According to police radio traffic, witnesses tell officers that the gunmen were wearing ski-like masks and vests.

9.14am: Police at the scene of the shooting.

Photo / Supplied

9.13am: MSNBC reports that three heavily-armed shooters in military garb and masks still at large.

9.12am: More on the scene of the shooting. It is the Inland Regional Center, a facility for people with developmental disabilities. The centre provides services to more than 30,000 people.

9.11am: A triage centre was being set up at the scene to treat the wounded.

Footage aired on CNN showed crowds of people being evacuated from the area. Potential witnesses were being moved to a shady spot under a tree by police to be spoken to about what they might have seen, a KABC reporter said.

Multiple agencies, multiple fire departments and law enforcement had responded to the scene, including Swat teams, the network said.

No one could be seen rushing out or rushing into the area where the shooters are suspected to be, a KABC reporter said from a helicopter above the scene.

9.10am: At least 12 people are dead and up to 20 injured.

9.05am: According to reports, the shooting took place at Inland Regional Center, a facility for people with developmental disabilities.

9.02am: The San Bernardino Fire Department tweeted that it was responding to a "20 victim shooting incident" and it was working to clear the scene. It is still a "very active scene" and police are trying to secure the building, said a spokeswoman from the San Bernardino Police Department.

There may be up to three gunmen she said, and the shooters were heavily armed and possibly wearing body armour.

Police in the Southern California city of San Bernardino were responding to reports of an active shooter at a social services facility.

There were reports of multiple victims, Lt. Rich Lawhead said.

Triage units were being set up in the area, and some people were seen being wheeled away on gurneys. Others walked quickly as they were led away by authorities.

No arrests have been made.

 

Police say there could be at least three suspects. The incident occurred around 11am local time.

USA Today have reported that the incident is near a golf course.

San Bernardino police radio reports said SWAT teams were on the scene and that officers were preparing to accept around 30 hostages who were set to come out of a building at the site.

Police officers told USA Today that a shooting suspect left the area "acting nervously".

 

- NZ Herald