The shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino is the deadliest mass shooting in the United States since the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut, in December 2012, where 26 people, mostly children, died.
With the investigation still unfolding, much is unclear about the attack at the center for people with developmental disabilities.
We know one of the suspects is a U.S. citizen named Syed Farook, an inspector with the county health department that was hosting the holiday party.
But we don’t know his motives — nor are officials completely clear on exactly how many shooters were there.
We don’t know the identities of the victims, nor do we have a full accounting of how many were injured.
For now, here is what we know and don’t know about the attack and its aftermath:
THE TIMELINE
The attack: The attack took place around 11 a.m. Pacific time (2 p.m. ET) during a holiday party at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California. It’s a facility for people with developmental disabilities.
Farook abruptly left the center before the shooting, multiple law enforcement sources told CNN.
Soon after, at least one person walked in and began firing. At least 14 people were killed and at least 17 were injured, police said.
The attacker or attackers then escaped in a dark-colored SUV.
The sources could not say for certain that Farook was in the SUV or if he was a shooter.
The police response: Soon after, authorities — acting on a lead where Farook lived — went to a home in Redlands, about 10 miles from San Bernardino, to serve a search warrant.
While there, a black SUV with Utah plates passed by slowly, then sped up and raced off, a law enforcement official close to the investigation said.
A police cruiser pursued it.
The shootout: A shootout ensued, with a man firing at officers from the vehicle while a woman drove, the official said.
The pursuit ended back in San Bernardino, about two miles from Inland Regional.
The man and the woman were killed in the shootout, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said.
The raid: Right now, law enforcement personnel have moved in on the home in Redlands. They are using a robot to sweep for explosives. They’ve asked “immediately adjacent” neighbors to evacuate until they’re sure the place is safe.
THE SUSPECTS
There are at least two, police said — the man and the woman.
They were “dressed in dark, kind of tactical gear,” Burguan said. Both were armed with assault rifles, and both had handguns.
“These were people that came prepared,” he said.
Farook, who’s been identified as one of the suspects, is an environmental health specialist for San Bernardino County.
Farhan Khan, Farook’s brother-in-law, told reporters Wednesday night he last talked to Farook a week ago.
“I have no idea why he would he do something like this. I have absolutely no idea. i am in shock myself,” Khan said.
The family has not been able to track down Farook or his wife since Wednesday morning, said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR (the Council on American Islamic Relations) told reporters.
Police detained another person who was seen running away after the shootout. But they don’t know whether he was involved in the attack.
One of the four guns used in the attack was legally purchased and has been traced back to a person known to law enforcement, ATF Special Agent Meredith Davis said.
THE VICTIMS
At least 14 people were killed. At least 17 others were injured — many by bullets, others in the panic to escape.
The shootings took place in the conference center at Inland Regional. It’s unclear how many people were at the facility at the time of the shooting.
Most of the victims were “centrally located in one area of the facility,” saidBurguan.
Lavinia Johnson, the center’s executive director, said the fire alarm went off in her building, and people began to evacuate but then the order came to stay in place. Later police came and took people out of their offices.
THE MOTIVE
Unclear.
The center was hosting a holiday party. Farook was at the part and abruptly left.
“There was some type of dispute or something when somebody left that party. But we have no idea if those were the people who came back,” Burguan said.
So, was a dispute at the party at the root of the attack?
A law enforcement official said the scale of the attack and the fact there was others involved adds complications officials still can’t explain.
THE CENTER
The center employs nearly 670 people at its facilities in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, providing service to more than 30,200 people. It offers one-on-one care to people with developmental disabilities. San Bernardino is a city of just over 200,000 people about 60 miles east of Los Angeles.