FBI: 'We Do Not Know' If San Bernardino Mass Shooting Is Linked To Terrorism
SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — It remains unclear whether Wednesday's mass shooting in San Bernardino was an act of terrorism, although the FBI has not ruled that out as a possibility.
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Fourteen people were killed in the shootings that started just before 11 a.m. at the Inland Regional Center. More than a dozen others were wounded.
"We express our sorrow for them. Tragic. There's many, many victims out of this," San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said. "Whether or not it's terrorism, we have yet to determine."
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While no motive for the shooting was immediately known, FBI Assistant Director David Bowdich told reporters: "I will tell you right now, we do not know if this is a terrorist incident."
Bowdich reiterated at an afternoon news conference that the agency was not prepared to state that the shooting was an act of terrorism, nor rule it out as a possibility.
"I know one of the big questions that will come up repeatedly is 'Is this terrorism?' And I am still not willing to say that we know for sure," Bowdich said. "We are definitely making some movements that it is a possibility. We are making some adjustments to our investigation. It is a possibility, but we don't know that yet."
"We will go where the evidence takes us," Bowdich added.
Late Wednesday, officers located what appeared to be the suspects' vehicle, described as a black SUV. During a confrontation, shots were exchanged between the suspects and the officers.
A police official subsequently announced that one male and one female suspect were dead. Authorities said a third person was detained after running from the scene of the shootout.
The relationship between the two deceased suspects, described as a male and female, were unknown.
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CBS News has identified one of the three possible suspects as Syed Farook, a U.S. citizen.
