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Police Search Suspects Home; Britain Conducts First Air Strikes in Syria; New Arrests in FIFA Corruption Scandal; New Arrests in FIFA Corruption Scandal; Shooters in California Identified; No Motive in Shooting Yet; Obama Calls for Gun Control Following Shooting; Police Training Increases for Mass Shootings. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired December 03, 2015 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:11] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: You are watching breaking news here on CNN. I'm Isha Sesay in Los Angeles. It is just after 11:00 p.m.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: I'm John Vause, in Redlands, California, where officials are continuing to look for leads and a motive after a deadly mass shooting.
SESAY: Police are at a community care center in San Bernardino. They are 28-year-old Syed Farook and 27-year-old Tashfeen Malik, either his wife or girlfriend. They were both killed in this black SUV in a shootout with police. VAUSE: And police say they opened fire at a holiday party earlier,
killing at least 14 people and wounded others. Right now, the motive remains unclear but police say there was apparently some sort of argument or disagreement at that party.
The San Bernardino police chief briefed reporters just a short time ago. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARROD BURGUAN, CHIEF, SAN BERNARDINO POLICE DEPARTMENT: This was a meeting Christmas party-type event that was taking place with San Bernardino county employees at the Inland Regional Center. Mr. Farook is a county employee. He works with his title as an environmental specialist in the public health department. He has been employed there for five years. He was at the party. He did leave the party early under some circumstances that were described as angry or something of that nature. That is the information that we were following up on when we encountered him back near this residence in Redlands, which led to the pursuit and the officer-involved shooting. And as we have now confirmed, he is one of the deceased.
A little bit about the response that we had, some questions that were asked earlier. From the time we received our first 911 call of a shooting takes place inside the business, the Inland Regional Center, to the time the police first arrived on the scene was four minutes. Almost immediately after our arrival, we had multiple units arriving and they immediately entered the building, as I said, responding to an active shooter-type situation where they encountered victims and they were in search of the suspects. We initially put out that we had information that there were upwards
of three shooters. Right now, as we continue to drill down on information and the witness statements that we have, it really looks like we have two shooters. And we're pretty comfortable that the two shooters that we believe are in the building are the two shooters that were deceased on San Bernardino Avenue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Now, here in Redlands, California, investigators are searching a home which they believe is tied to the suspects, Syed Farook. They are looking for possible explosives. It is not clear if Farook rented or lived there, but sources say a tip led to the residence, where police first saw the black SUV, which police say was driving in some type of suspicious manner and police gave chase.
CNN's Paul Vercammen has been following this in San Bernardino.
Unfortunately, we do not have Paul at this hour.
But Isha, what we do have is a narrative that is starting to play out with the police chief. At least, according to officials, it seems that Syed Farook went to the party, had had some type of disagreement, came back and that is when the shooting began. Originally, we first heard there was possibly a third person, that person has been taken in and is in custody. We don't know the fate of that person, their involvement if any in this incident. But we do have a clearer picture of exactly what took place here a few hours ago -- Isha?
SESAY: Yes, we certainly do have a much clearer picture.
But let me ask you John, very quickly, I know you're about half a mile away from that Redlands apartment that the authorities have been searching at least using robotic devices. At this stage do we know if they actually physically were able to enter the residence, and see any individuals?
VAUSE: Well, right now here with the search, the townhouse that has continued to go on for quite sometime. As we've seen they have been using the robots to move into the townhouse, essentially out of an abundance of caution. What we have heard from authorities is that there is no positive indication that there could be explosives in there. But what they have told us is because there were explosives at the Inland Regional Center, where the initial shooting took place there is concern there could be explosives here. So that is why they are slowly going through that townhouse, also out of an abundance of caution and after mass shootings like these, sometimes the suspects have left behind booby traps for the officials. So we don't know if they managed to get inside. But once they do manage to get inside the apartment that is when they may get a better idea of some type of motive or get a hold of computers or writings. Anything they can track down, any source of materials on what was happening, the thought process going on here, for Syed Farook and his wife or girlfriend, the woman who was killed alongside with him, whatever that relationship was. So clearly this continues on here. It is still an active search
scene. And many people here, some have been evacuated, some told to stay indoors. So it is relatively tense here, not as tense certainly as it was a few hours ago, but there still remains a degree of people being on edge, if you like -- Isha?
[02:05:56] SESAY: Yes, that being said, with some people being evacuated and the search under way, is this still a city on alert?
VAUSE: I'm sorry. Could you say that again?
SESAY: Is this a city on high alert, given the fact the investigation is still there under way at the Redlands apartment?
VAUSE: Well, what we did hear from the police chief a short time ago he did actually say the police have heard from a lot of people who are very concerned that there could be other suspects out there. Right now they say there is no indication that there are any other plots out there. That there was anybody else out there who was planning to carry out similar style attacks. But he did say that if they get that information they will be sure to impart that information. Clearly, this is a very quiet sleeper bedroom community if you like, about 30 miles east of Los Angeles. Takes about an hour or so depending on the traffic to get here from Los Angeles. But many people here obviously shocked. Some concerned. Many others are scared. And the police chief trying to reassure the community here that whatever needs to be done will be done. And that if there are any other possible plots out there, not that there is any indication that there are, but if there should be they will act aggressively to make sure right now that this type of event doesn't happen again -- Isha?
SESAY: Yeah, no doubt.
John Vause, there for us at Redlands.
John, we appreciate it. Stand by.
Because I want to share some insight that we gathered a while back from this former FBI agent, Bobby Chacon. He joined us in the studio and gave us his thoughts on an investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOBBY CHACON, FORMER FBI AGENT, LOS ANGLES: Right now it looks like it was a dispute between one of the employees and somebody who they worked with. That is supported by the early facts in the case where police got on very quickly in this focus area, this area of focus that they went to and when the SUV came by and they engaged the SUV. That probably was the result of somebody who was at the original attack naming the gentleman, saying this guy left the party earlier. He was escorted out. He was told to leave. There was clearly a dispute between co-workers. This guy returned and the shooting ensued.
SESAY: And I hear what you're saying, and I think a lot of people are trying to reconcile the theory, is the involvement of the female in the SUV. We don't know if the female was actually involved in the shootout. But a woman was in the SUV and shot and killed. So how do you reconcile that?
CHACON: Well, I mean, my speculation, the educated guess would be that that probably was him in the SUV. This could have been a wife or girlfriend that was linked to him, that may have shared his disdain with his co-workers, every night going back home, maybe complaining he was not being treated right. So she might have shared in his hatred of the co-workers. Maybe this was something that was thought about, talked about and planned. And then this incident today was the inciting event that pushed him over the edge.
SESAY: Have you seen something like that before?
CHACON: Well, I haven't, a couple of years ago we had had a massive shooting in the postal community. And with some of these workplace incidents, you see a level of planning. This seemed to be planned more, thus the speculation on the terrorist accusation. So this all elevates to another level and I think that is what the investigators will investigate on going forward.
SESAY: The tactical gear, the level of arms, that speaks to training?
CHACON: It speaks to preparation. Now, how much training they had that is something the investigators will determine whether they went to shooting ranges on the weekend and practiced, whether they did other types of training. The investigation will determine that.
[02:10:07] SESAY: And talk to me about the situation playing out in Redlands, California, the apartment where we know the authorities are using the robotic devices to scan the area. Talk to me about the operation and just how the investigation unfolds.
CHACON: Well, the first thing that has to be done is the area has to be made safe. So that is what the robot is doing. Making it safe for the crime scene investigators to go in and process the crime scene. This may be an over-abundance of caution, but that is what they're doing, probably going in and looking at the computer and literature that he may have around. Journals that he may have, speaking to neighbors. It will be all night, looking at the original scene for forensics and processing his house for his motivation to do this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Former FBI agent, Bobby Chacon, speaking to me.
Well, the latest numbers in San Bernardino, the police say 14 people are dead. And many of them were at a holiday party. Throughout the day, we heard from survivors as well as anxious family members. Here is what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were barricaded in their office. You could hear a lot of gunshots, crying, and when SWAT got her out of her office, she said that there was bodies that they had to go through to get out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard rapid shooting, just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, and I thought oh, god, somebody is hunting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of a sudden, boom.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, boom, boom, boom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And on they said loose --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. I was right behind the building.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I started walking, all of a sudden, I got into chaos. And who knows? Just boom, boom, boom, boom, and I'm right in the middle of it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Employees were locked in offices and closets to try to stay safe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shooting at my work, people shot in the office waiting for cops.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But she is OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pray for us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Well, as well as the witness testimony, chilling videos have been coming into CNN taken by witnesses inside that building, including the moment these people were evacuated and a promise from the man leading them out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready?
Not watching it --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep your hands where I can see them. Everyone try to relax.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll take a bullet before you, that is for damn sure. Just be cool, OK?
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: One can only imagine the terror that those people were experiencing, what was going through their minds.
Our breaking news coverage of the mass shooting in California continues after the break. Stay with us as we have much more on this developing story.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church, at CNN headquarters.
Swiss authorities have made multiple arrests in connection with the corruption on the governing body. We expect authorities on Thursday to announce the charges. FIFA president Sepp Blatter is not named in the charges.
And we are following some have other breaking news. Britain has conducted its first air strikes on Syria by bombing an oil field in the eastern part of the country. British lawmakers voted in favor of these strikes against ISIS in Syria on Wednesday after a lengthy debate. This comes after France asked the U.S.-led coalition to bump up the military exercise against ISIS.
And CNN's Ian Lee joins us on the phone from Istanbul in Turkey for more.
So, Ian, with these British airstrikes in Syria, it came quickly after that vote. Talk to us about these raids and what we know.
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That is right, Rosemary. Really hours after that 10-hour debate in the British parliament of these strikes. We know that there were two pairs of jets that took off from Cyprus at the base there targeting oil fields in eastern Syria.
Now, we know that ISIS gets roughly 50 percent of its revenues from oil, the illegal trade of oil being a major target. We do not know much more than that at this point. We're expecting later today we're told that the Ministry of Defense will give us more information on the strikes and coordination. But we do know that the British have been coordinating with the Americans and the coalition when conducting these airstrikes. But you may remember back in 2013, when the U.K. parliament decided not to go and bomb the targets inside Syria. This is a major shift. But of course, this comes after those deadly attacks in Paris -- Rosemary?
[02:15:43] CHURCH: Yes, a major shift and not everyone on board with this in Britain. But talk to us about the surveillance mission that will also be included. And also the briefings that we would expect to hear in the aftermath of these airstrikes.
LEE: Well, the ministry of defense has said they will give briefings, talking more about the airstrikes and what is being done. But they broke it down into really two types of missions. One, you will see the airstrikes going after various targets but also they will be doing surveillance over Syria. And this is important for a number of reasons, conducting surveillance and providing information on high- value targets and other areas where future airstrikes will be conducted. But again, we do not have many details at this hour. We're expecting more later in the day.
CHURCH: All right, our Ian Lee, joining us on the line there from Istanbul in Turkey, keeping us abreast of the developing and breaking news story.
But we will return now to the breaking news coverage of the San Bernardino mass shootings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: The Bear Cat come to us.
DISPATCHER: What is your exact location?
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: We are in San Bernardino and Sheddon. You can see one guy down. There is one guy in the back of the car. And we need that Bear Cat.
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Do we have the suspect vehicle? We'll go ahead and extract it, stand by, wait for the Bear Cat.
DISPATCHER: Copy.
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Right now, we have one down outside the car. One down inside the car. Well, we don't know. Hold on. From what we understand is one is on the run.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Hello, everyone. There is new information coming from authorities about the suspects in the San Bernardino shooting. They have named Syed Farook, a county employee, and Tashfeen Malik, as the shooters. The police chief said they were either married or boyfriend and girlfriend.
VAUSE: Police say Farook abruptly left a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center before the shooting. They believe he and Malik returned later with weapons killing the 14 people and wounding others. Hours later, they were killed in a chase with police, armed with assault-style rifles and handguns.
Farook's family says they were blindsided by all of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FAMILY MEMBER: I have no idea. I have no idea. Why would he do something like that? I am in shock myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN's Paul Vercammen following the developments outside the center in San Bernardino, joining us live.
Paul, we have a clear picture of what happened. But we know they tried to clear the building of explosive devices. Where does that stand at this hour?
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we can certainly tell you what we have heard, John. And that is federal agents with the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms say that what was heard was three muffled blasts. The blasts were muffled because we think that they were able to get in the building and somehow detonate in one of those hurt lockers, if you will, one of those metal boxes, safely detonate those. They say, John, at one point during the shootout that the suspects threw an inert pipe bomb at authorities. So clearly there was premeditation here. And who knows what they may have armed themselves with? Back in Redlands, they were afraid the suspects may have booby trapped their residence.
[02:20:11] VAUSE: And, Paul, we're also learning more about the weapons which were used in the attack, may have come from.
VERCAMMEN: Well, we understand at least one of those weapons bought legally. They're working hard on trying to trace that down now. But don't forget for a second, just in case, they are keeping a lot of things close to the vest. They don't want to reveal anything that could possibly be important. If there is another suspect, we don't t don't think there is at this point -- John?
VAUSE: Thank you, Paul. Paul Vercammen live for us at this hour outside the scene of where this initial shooting took place. Thank you, Paul.
Let's go back to Isha now in Los Angeles.
SESAY: John, thank you.
Well, the mayor of San Bernardino, Carey Davis, said this is a terrible tragedy and it is unfortunate that the community was targeted. He added that city residents should not panic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAREY DAVIS, MAYOR OF SAN BERNARDINO: Our city is suffering from the effects of those who decided to express themselves in a violent fashion. Our community is coming together to deal with the situation. It's not a time for us to -- to become angry. But yet to also realize that there is a need to be very cautious and to be at a heightened level of alert for the safety of our community, but not just our community. As we stand in the world today with those things that are taking place, all communities need to be on alert.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Glenn Willwerth was a witness to the initial shooting. He joins me now on the phone with more details on this. He is from San Bernardino in northern California.
Glenn, just explain to us exactly where you were when all of this began. What did you hear and what did you see?
GLENN WILLWERTH, WITNESS (voice-over): Yeah, the way it all kind of worked out was my office, my building is actually directly across the street from the regional center. My office window faces the Inland Regional Center. And I was in my office and saw somebody run by my window. And when I got up to investigate they rushed into my front door seeking shelter, saying they're shooting, they're shooting everybody. And so I told everybody to basically just lock down the building. Everybody stay put. Bring down all the doors. And I actually grabbed my side arm and holstered up and went towards where the shooting was happening. And about half way from my place to where the shooters were, I hunkered down by a water truck that was out on the street. And I stayed posted up there until about another 10 or 15 shots went off. I was able to see somebody couldn't tell the description-wise anything other than I could see somebody moving through the trees, get into a black SUV. And they started to head towards me I believe in the area -- which was not uncommon. There was a lot of people trying to get out of the area. The only thing that was different about this from my viewpoint was they were moving very slow. They were not in a hurry to get out of there where everybody else was kind of fleeing. When they headed towards me they got about maybe 25 yards away and they changed course, headed out towards the rear of the parking lot of the regional center. And exited to the north side of where I was at so they were away from me.
VAUSE: So, Glenn, let's just talk about your reaction here. So you grabbed your own fire, your own weapon, and you went out once you secured the people inside your office. Did you actually fire any shots at the two suspects or did you not get close enough?
WILLWERTH: No, no, I actually -- where I was posted up was my between my building. I really just wanted to make sure that whatever was going on it didn't venture over to where I had my family and my employees. And have to deal with that situation. But as I saw the vehicle leaving I was -- I was posted up with aim on them, but I could not tell for sure. There was just so much chaos going on. If I was not 100 percent sure there was no way I was going to get myself involved in anything like that. But had anything transpired from there well, at least I know I was prepared but I really wouldn't want to do something like that. Nobody should have to go through something like that.
[02:25:12] VAUSE: Did you get a clear look at the two shooters? Could you describe what they were wearing? Because there has been some description they were wearing assault-style clothing. Other people described it as maybe even armored vests, that kind of thing. Masks on their face? Could you tell?
WILLWERTH: No, I was unable to see anything about them at all. The vehicle they were in had tinted windows. I looked really hard to even see the driver's face and I couldn't see anything. And I didn't know if there was more. I didn't know if there was one, I didn't know how many there were. After I left there and went over to my neighbor's place to check on them the lighthouse for the blind, they were all kind of tucking themselves away, too. And they were all OK in there. So I just wanted to make sure, you know, everybody was OK around me here.
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: Well, Glenn, we're glad that you are safe.
WILLWERTH: The first officer -- the first officer that came in, too, I flagged him down and gave him a description of the vehicle right away and told him what I saw.
VAUSE: Right.
Well, Glenn, we're glad you're safe. Incredible quick thinking there for you to do what you had done earlier today to take care of those people. Make sure they were safe in your office. And then to take your own action that you did. We appreciate you sharing what you went through. And I hope everything with you is -- hope you're doing OK.
Thank you very much.
Earlier, I spoke about the shooting with Hassam Ayloush. He is the executive director for the Los Angeles chapter of CARE, the Council on American Islamic Relations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUSSAM AYLOUSH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATIONS, LOS ANGELES CHAPTER: This is the time for us to express solidarity among of us Americans in rejecting whatever the motives might have been. You know, there is absolutely no justification for such terrible behavior.
VAUSE: Have you had a chance to speak at any length with the family of Syed Farook? And if there was any indication -- I mean, we heard from the brother-in-law no one expected this. He had just spoken to him a week ago. What else did the family say to you?
AYLOUSH: I spoke to them. They're as shocked as anybody else. They had no clue that this could happen. This is a -- the suspect is married. Has a 6 month-old baby. You would not expect. They have no reason what made him snap. Is it workforce, workplace related? Is it mental illness? Some twisted ideology? It's really unknown to us. All we can do now is just share with everybody's sorrow and prayers that this is over quickly and that the pain and the suffering of all of these families is eased.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Hussam Ayloush, speaking a short time ago. He's the executive director of the Council of American Islamic Relations.
When we come back, President Obama's reaction to the California shooting. That is still ahead.
Also, a look at how police train for events like this.
You're watching CNN's continuing coverage of the shooting here in California.
CHURCH: Hello, I'm Rosemary Church, at CNN headquarters, following some more breaking news. Swiss authorities have arrested two FIFA officials in Switzerland in connection with the corruption scandal.
CNN's Don Riddell is here with more information.
And, Don, two people expected. We were expecting more people to be arrested on this day.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Yes, and that may still be the case. We heard that a couple of hours ago that they were expecting more officials gathering at the expo, at which they would be discussing reform proposals. Of course, FIFA has been embattled really since May when there was another series of raids. That was the scene there again today, the same hotel. And the Swiss federal officer of justice has confirmed as you say that two people are in custody, pending extradition. They are suspected of accepting bribes worth millions of dollars in relation to tournaments in Latin America and World Cup qualifiers. We are expected to learn their identities later today and learn more about this case.
But this is just absolutely a desperate day for football's world governing body. This, of course, is the organization that runs the World Cup tournaments. They run the game.
[02:30:00] And they have been just under so much pressure and they have just been humiliated. And so many of their key officials have been arrested or charged or suspended. And you really wonder now who can possibly take this organization forward because, once again, today we're expecting many senior officials to be rounded up.
CHURCH: Yeah, it has certainly shattered the organization. And as you say, this may just be the beginning of more arrests.
Very quickly, just put this in perspective, let's do a little bit of a historical look back at how they got to this point.
RIDDELL: Well, I mean, they currently are under investigation on both sides of the Atlantic. Swiss police are examining and investigating FIFA as is the U.S. Department of Justice. The U.S. Department of Justice suspects that there has been corruption in FIFA going back two decades. And of course, it was they who led the raid on the hotel which really kind of kicked the whole thing off. But of course, the investigations have been going on much longer than that. The World Cup, Russia 2015, Qatar, 2022. And Sepp Blatter is under investigation. And the man who was hoping to succeed him in the presidential election next year is also suspended. He could be banned for life. There is so much to this. But this is an absolutely terrible day, again, for FIFA.
CHURCH: It certainly is. In the hours ahead, we'll learn the identities of the two officials arrested, and maybe much more.
(CROSSTALK)
CHURCH: Don Riddell, you'll stay on this story. We'll have you back soon.
And we now return to CNN's breaking news coverage of the shooting in San Bernardino.
SESAY: Hello, everyone. You're watching CNN's breaking news coverage of a mass shooting at a California conference center.
I'm Isha Sesay in Los Angeles. It is 11:32 p.m.
VAUSE: I'm John Vause, live in Redlands, California.
Police have identified the suspects in that shooting in San Bernardino. One is a man named Syed Farook, here in San Bernardino County. The other, either his wife or girlfriend, is Tashfeen Malik. Both were killed in a shootout with police. They led authorities on a chase in a black SUV.
The director of an Islamic group in the Los Angeles area says the couple left their 6 month-old daughter with a grandmother on Wednesday morning. Now the grandmother had not heard from the couple and was concerned when she saw the reports of the shooting on TV.
Earlier in the day, police say Farook and Malik opened fire at a holiday party. 14 people were killed. At least several others were wounded.
Well, CNN's Randi Kaye has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Active shooter, that was the warning just before lunchtime in San Bernardino, California, about an hour east of Los Angeles. People inside and outside the building heard the shots.
UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: I was working and, all of a sudden, boom, boom, boom.
KAYE: It all happened at a conference facility where a banquet for county officials was taking place. That facility was part of a large building complex that also houses the Inland Regional Center, which provides services to people with disabilities.
Within minutes, the San Bernardino police alert they are looking for not one, but possibly as many as three shooters.
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Multiple people entered the room and began shooting.
KAYE: The shooters are believed to be dressed in body armor and heavily armed. Police say they came prepared for this attack. Police, SWAT teams, the ATF and the FBI race to the scene and set up a perimeter. They believe the shooters were still somewhere inside the large complex.
Loved ones of those trapped inside also arrived.
This man's daughter texted him she was hiding.
TERRY PETTIT (ph), WITNESS: Shooting at my work, people shot, in the office waiting for cops.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But she is OK?
PETTIT (ph): Pray for us.
KAYE: This man got a text from his wife when the shooting started.
UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: She said the guy came in next to her office and I guess started shooting. They locked themselves in, in her office. They saw bodies on the floor. And she said, right now, ambulances are taking people out in stretchers.
KAYE: As families wait for answers, California's governor is briefed. So is the president. Schools and hospitals are locked down.
Meanwhile, police continue to try and track down the shooters.
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: We don't know where those shooters are. They are heavily armed and they are possibly wearing body armor, things of that nature. It is not a safe area to be. Very dangerous. And the fewer innocent we have in here the better.
[02:35:12] KAYE: Shortly after it all began, at least a dozen people exit the building, hands up.
This man's son was safely evacuated, only after texting his dad that there were live shooters in the building.
UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: He was pretty nervous, pretty upset, you know, worried. You know, he didn't know for sure what was going on. I told him to just hunker down, make sure their cell phones were off. Keep the noise -- don't make noise and, you know, hide under the desk.
KAYE: By late afternoon, the suspects are on the run. Witnesses describe seeing three men dressed in military-style uniforms carrying long guns take off in a black SUV. Hours later, a shootout with police leaves two suspects dead. More than a dozen victims are also dead, even more wounded. And the motive, far from clear.
Randi Kaye, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Police say they don't yet know a motive in this mass shooting and they're not ready to call it terrorism, at least, not yet.
But CNN's intelligence and security analyst, Bob Baer, has a different take.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE & SECURITY ANALYST: I have my thoughts on that. It's looking like terrorism. Just look at the nature of the attack. It was a military, two gunmen at least, a man and a woman, assault rifles. They left what looked like an IED, what looked like one, to hold off police. When they ran from the police, they were throwing, apparently, pipe bombs out to break up contact. Those kinds of tactics, you don't get that off the Internet. Yu have to train for those. You have to plan them long in advance. I can't explain the nature of target. What also disturbs me about this, it looks like terrorism, is these two were apparently were ready to die. In a situation like this, you don't pull a gun on the police and not expect to die. I mean, they were being chased. And these are people who are committed to something. They are not simply like the Colorado Springs shooter, who gave up, who was a psychopath. And it's not clear if it was terrorism or not. The man was just crazy. This is looking more and more like terrorism.
And my law enforcement contacts in California have been worried about this happening in southern California for some time. And for a couple of months, they have been telling me this. They had a suspicion something was going to occur here. I don't know if it was related. But back to my biases, I have to wonder.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: And they have confirmed, local authorities have not confirmed terrorism played a part in this. There is still a lot we don't know. We'll wait for updates from them.
Stay with CNN continuing coverage of the California mass shooting. We'll be right back after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:41:05] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, breaking news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: I wanted to get to the center. I was just walking out. And this lady and a couple of others heard shots that I heard from over there. And all of a sudden, I started to walk and, all of a sudden, I got into chaos. Who knows, and then just boom, boom, boom. I was just, wow, right in the middle of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Hello, everyone. I'm Isha Sesay, coming to you from Los Angeles.
Authorities have identified the suspects in the San Bernardino shooting. They have named Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik. Police say they were either married, or boyfriend and girlfriend. Police say Farook abruptly left the holiday party at the center before the shooting. At least 14 people were killed and 17 wounded when he and Malik later returned and opened fire.
The director of a Los Angeles Islamic group says the couple left their young daughter with the grandmother Wednesday morning. When the grandmother did not hear from the couple, she was concerned. Well, hours later, Farook and Malik were killed after a chase and a shootout with police. They were armed with assault-style weapons and handguns.
Reaction to Wednesday's event is pouring in. U.S. President Obama is once again calling for more gun control reforms after this latest mass shooting. Speaking to CBS News, he said Congress should work together to close loopholes, including one that allows people to buy a gun even if they're deemed too dangerous to fly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are some steps we could take to not eliminate every one of these mass shootings, but to improve the odds that they don't happen as frequently, common sense gun safety laws, stronger background checks. And you know, for those who are concerned about terrorism, you know, some may be aware of the fact that we have a no-fly list where people can't get on planes. But those same people who we don't allow to fly could go in a store in the United States and buy a firearm and there is nothing that we can do to stop them. That is a law that needs to be changed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, let's put Wednesday's shooting in some kind of context for you. San Bernardino marks the 355th mass shooting in the U.S. this year. That is more mass shootings than days so far in 2015. Mass shootings have occurred every month this year, with 44 happening in June alone. A mass shooting is defined as a shooting with at least four people injured or killed, including the shooter. Well, these numbers are according to the Mass Shooting Tracker Database.
The San Bernardino shooting is the deadliest in 2015. Let's take a look at some of the other high-profile shootings this year. Just this last Friday, a suspect shot and killed three people and wounded nine others at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado. Two months ago, a gunman attacked a community college in Oregon and killed nine people. In August, a Virginia news crew was shot and killed on live television by a former co-worker who later killed himself. And in July, a military recruiting center in Tennessee was attacked. Four Marines and a sailor were killed. And in June, nine people were killed in a shooting during a church prayer meeting in Charleston, South Carolina.
Well, in an age where mass shootings are happening more and more in the U.S., public safety officials are making sure they train for this. CNN got a look at one of those training programs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(GUNFIRE)
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Drop the gun!
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: You understand me!
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: One down, one down, one down!
TREY TURNER, SAN ANTONIO POLICE DEPARTMENT: All of the scenarios are geared towards events that have already occurred.
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: We have a shooter down.
[02:45:00] TURNER: The environments they put us in typically are schools. But we make everybody aware that an active shooter can happen anywhere -- UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Go, go, go.
(GUNFIRE)
TURNER: -- in churches, in movie theaters, places where there is a large mass of people that are really not expecting something to happen like that.
(GUNFIRE)
(SHOUTING)
TURNER: Across the country, active shooters are becoming more and more evident and problematic.
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Let me see your hands!
TURNER: We're teaching them how to approach a location, how to get in. Our number one goal we're teaching is to get the active shooter to stop the killing. But the second goal that we're looking for is to stop the dying.
(SHOUTING)
OFC. WILLIAM STUART, CAMDEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY, POLICE DEPARTMENT: The active shooter is probably one of the worst scenarios a police officer can handle. Life or death, it's what we are paid for. We need to neutralize the threat to save lives.
TROY DUPUY, HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT: The training is as close to training as real life. Their heart rate is spiking. They're nervous. It's the best you will do without actually shooting real bullets at a person.
(GUNFIRE)
(SHOUTING)
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: He's got a gun! He's got a gun!
DUPUY: But there have been suspicious men with guns. But no shots have been fired kind of thing and they're coming in to investigate. And it turns into a shooting. They have dealt with these explosives, IED-kind of awareness.
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: I'm going to kill him in 10 seconds. 10, nine, eight.
DUPUY: We're also dealing with hostage situations.
(GUNFIRE)
DUPUY: Training builds confidence. A lot of these guys don't have much confidence because they don't get in environments like this. The lessons we learn under stress is the lessons we retain the
longest. I mean, this is actually a really good job, all of this done right here.
(GUNFIRE)
(SHOUTING)
DUPUY: Weeks after they have gone through the training, they have actually been involved in incidents and it helped them survive those incidents. So it is helping.
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Go, go, go, go.
(GUNFIRE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Some incredible images there.
Well, police are searching for a motive in the California mass shooting. We will bring you the very latest details after a short break.
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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[02:49:18] DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good day. I'm CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam, with a quick look at your Thursday forecast throughout the United States.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
VAUSE: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. You're watching CNN's breaking news coverage of the mass shootings at a California conference center. I'm John Vause, live in Redlands, California. It's just gone 11:50 p.m. on a Wednesday night.
SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay, in Los Angeles.
Police have identified the suspects in that shooting. One is a man named Syed Farook, a county employee in San Bernardino County, and the other, either his wife or girlfriend, is Tashfeen Malik.
VAUSE: Both were killed in a shootout after they led police in a chase in this black SUV. Police say they were dressed in assault- style clothing and a handgun and assault rifles. The director said the couple left their 6 month-old daughter with her
grandmother Wednesday morning. The grandmother had not heard from the couple and was concerned when she saw reports about the shooting on television.
SESAY: Well, early in the day, they opened fire at a holiday party. 14 people were killed, at least 17 others were wounded. The police chief briefed reporters just a little bit earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARROD BURGUAN, CHIEF, SAN BERNARDINO POLICE DEPARTMENT: So we have this crime scene. We have the crime scene up on San Bernardino Avenue. We have a house in Redlands, which is where the pursuit originated, where our information took us to. That is being actively worked as well. And as I said, Mr. Farook was a county employee. So we obviously have cleared his office space in case that has any component to the investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: And, John, just as we heard, those three locations, multiple locations the authorities are processing. Multiple agencies involved. This is a huge undertaking.
VAUSE: Yes, it is a massive investigation which is under way right now, Isha. You have the original crime scene where the shooting took place, which is just about a few miles from where we are right now. That is, of course, where the 14 people were shot dead. Here, where I am in Redlands, at the moment, this is the town home that is linked to Syed Farook. We're not sure if he owned it, if he rented it, or if he just simply lived here. Police are concerned about entering into that town home. They are using robots to ensure it is not booby-trapped in any way. And of course, they are searching Farook's office. He was a county employee. And they're looking for any clues, also for any indication as to a motive. Also any indication of who may also have been involved in the earlier stages, with possibly the planning, as well. Because we did hear from the police chief here in San Bernardino who did say that clearly this was not a "spur of the moment thing," in his words. There was a lot of planning leading up to this. So right now, all of these investigations are under way to try and piece together exactly what happened, not just the moment of the shooting, but what led up to it. And of course, why did they plan to go on the shooting rampage, because, of course, this has a lot more fallout than just simply a fallout from an argument at a holiday party.
SESAY: Yeah, there are many, many unanswered questions here. Some things still just don't hang together in a way that makes sense.
John, appreciate the insight there.
We know that the witnesses have been sharing their stories with us throughout the day as well as family members anxiously waiting for news about their loved ones. Here is what we have been hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETTIT (ph): Shooting at my work, people shot, in the office waiting for cops.
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: It is not a safe area to be. It is very dangerous.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Parts of the section where they locked the door.
[02:55:16] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was an active shooter and we needed to stay and get behind locked doors. So we stayed there until the SWAT teams came and evacuated us out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We heard rapid shooting, just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just walking out and this lady and a couple of others heard shots that I heard from over there but then I started to walk and, all of a sudden, I got into chaos.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You could see some people being treated there.
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: They are heavily armed and possibly wearing body armor, things of that nature.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Large armed response there by the sheriff's department.
PETTIT (ph): Someone had come in and started shooting. And they ran into an office and she is hiding with some other people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She said the guy came into her office and I guess started shooting. They locked themselves in her office. They saw the police taking bodies out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was shut up in her room. Police showed up, they were taken outside. Thank god there were not more casualties.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Yes, thank god.
Stay with CNN as we continue to follow this breaking story.
I'm Isha Sesay, in Los Angeles.
VAUSE: I'm John Vause, in Redlands, California.
A lot more after the break. New details about explosives found inside the conference room where the shooting took place.
Back in a moment.
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