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‘It Finally Clicked That This Wasn’t an Exercise’: Report Recounts San Bernardino Shooting ‘It Finally Clicked That This Wasn’t an Exercise’: Report Recounts San Bernardino Shooting
(about 5 hours later)
When a masked gunman burst through the door, sweeping the room with semiautomatic rifle fire, three men tried to stop the slaughter by rushing the attacker. He shot all three. The two masked killers burst through a door and, without saying a word, swept the conference room with semiautomatic rifle fire, spraying more than 100 rounds before they fled, just two or three minutes later.
Without saying a word, the gunman and his accomplice then stepped through the carnage, looking for signs of life and shooting the wounded. They fired 85 rounds and then fled two or three minutes after they arrived. A new report chronicles in vivid detail the Dec. 2 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., where Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people and wounded 24 others. The couple pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, committed the rampage and died hours later in a wild shootout with the police, when Mr. Farook was shot 25 times and Ms. Malik was hit 13 times.
A previously undisclosed report chronicles in vivid detail the Dec. 2 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., that killed 14 people and wounded 24 others. A husband and wife who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State committed the rampage and died hours later in a shootout with the police. The husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, was shot 42 times, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, was hit five times. The report contains the first official account of how the killers were identified and tracked down, with a handful of officers playing crucial roles. And it reveals a wealth of specifics that had not been made public before, including the number of gunshots, and the horrors that officers and victims encountered.
The report contains the first official account of how the killers were identified and tracked down, with a handful of officers playing crucial roles. It reveals a wealth of specifics that had not been made public before, including the number of gunshots and other details about the battle that killed the terrorists, the attempt by victims to overwhelm the gunman, the horrors that the officers encountered, and the attackers’ merciless determination to finish off anyone they had not already killed. The scene that police officers found minutes after the massacre overwhelmed the senses: dozens of maimed or dead bodies, spattered and pooling blood, the haze and smell of gunfire, a shattered pipe pouring water from the ceiling, a wailing alarm. And wounded victims pleading for help, clutching at officers whose first priority was to find the attackers.
The scene that police officers found minutes later overwhelmed the senses: dozens of maimed or dead bodies, spattered and pooling blood, the haze and smell of gunfire, a shattered pipe pouring water from the ceiling, a wailing alarm. And wounded victims pleading for help, clutching at officers whose first priority was to find the attackers. The report was produced by the Police Foundation, a policy study group in Washington, with help from the Justice Department and local law enforcement agencies; the authors interviewed more than 200 people, from police chiefs to survivors.
The 159-page confidential draft report, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times, was produced by the Police Foundation, a policy study group in Washington, with help from the Justice Department and local law enforcement agencies. The authors interviewed more than 200 people, from police chiefs to survivors. After The New York Times obtained a draft version and reported on its contents, the Justice Department on Friday released the final document. Some details changed — including the number of times the killers were shot, how many shots they fired and how their vehicle was traced — but the overall picture was unaltered.
Three men tried to stop the slaughter, rushing Mr. Farook, but he shot all three, the earlier version of the report said. It did not say whether the men survived. The anecdote was left out of the final report, but a Justice Department official confirmed that it was correct.
The report shows how officers from multiple agencies handled a rapidly unfolding crisis, making decisions on the fly, often with little coordination or direction. The results were quick, sometimes heroic responses that may have saved lives but also created confusion and mistakes, though none proved fatal.The report shows how officers from multiple agencies handled a rapidly unfolding crisis, making decisions on the fly, often with little coordination or direction. The results were quick, sometimes heroic responses that may have saved lives but also created confusion and mistakes, though none proved fatal.
Perhaps most disturbing, more than six hours passed before officers searched a bag the killers had left at the scene of the shooting. Inside were three pipe bombs.Perhaps most disturbing, more than six hours passed before officers searched a bag the killers had left at the scene of the shooting. Inside were three pipe bombs.
Some perverse twists recounted in the report involved the scene itself — a conference room at the Inland Regional Center, where about 70 employees of the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health were attending a meeting. The victims were familiar with the site of the massacre, a conference room at the Inland Regional Center where about 80 employees of the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health were attending a training session. They had met there before — in fact, many of them had attended active-shooter training in that same room a year earlier.
Many of those people had attended active-shooter training in that same room a year earlier. More recently, some had attended a baby shower, also in that room, for a co-worker and his wife — the two people who would gun them down. Mr. Farook, 28, was born in the United States to parents from Pakistan. Ms. Malik, 29, was born in Pakistan but had lived much of her life in Saudi Arabia. After they met and married in 2014 in Saudi Arabia, she moved to the United States, obtained legal residence and gave birth to a daughter.
Farook, 28, was born in the United States to parents from Pakistan. Malik, 29, was born in Pakistan but had lived much of her life in Saudi Arabia. After they met and married in 2014 in Saudi Arabia, she moved to the United States, obtained legal residence and gave birth to a daughter. Mr. Farook, a food inspector whose colleagues never suspected him of radicalism, put the bag with the bombs in the room and left. He and his wife returned about half an hour later, shortly before 11 a.m., masked and clad in black, armed with AR-15 rifles — a civilian variant of the military M-16 rifle — and semiautomatic pistols. Mr. Farook’s rifle had been modified in a failed attempt to make it fully automatic.
Farook, a food inspector whose colleagues never suspected him of radicalism, put the bag with the bombs in the room and left. He and his wife returned about half an hour later, shortly before 11 a.m., masked and clad in black, armed with AR-15 rifles — a civilian variant of the military M-16 rifle — and semiautomatic pistols. Farook’s rifle had been modified in a failed attempt to make it fully automatic.
The first people killed were two men sitting outside along the walkway to the conference room. One was shot while eating at a picnic table; the other was found with his cellphone still in his hand.The first people killed were two men sitting outside along the walkway to the conference room. One was shot while eating at a picnic table; the other was found with his cellphone still in his hand.
The couple then entered the conference room and opened fire, calmly emptying and reloading their rifles. The couple then entered the conference room and opened fire, calmly emptying and reloading their rifles. A county official quoted in the draft version of the report said he thought at first that it was “the most glorified training I had ever seen,” adding, “probably on the second or third clip, it finally clicked that this wasn’t an exercise.”
Some people ran through the far door, deeper into the building. Others ducked under tables or hid in bathrooms, closets and cupboards. One woman dashed through the door the attackers had entered, but they shot her dead as she fled. A bullet ripped through a wall and wounded a woman in another room.Some people ran through the far door, deeper into the building. Others ducked under tables or hid in bathrooms, closets and cupboards. One woman dashed through the door the attackers had entered, but they shot her dead as she fled. A bullet ripped through a wall and wounded a woman in another room.
The report does not say whether the three men who were shot while charging Farook survived. One woman quoted in the earlier version of the report said that as she lay wounded, a female co-worker who had been shot in the head asked her to call her mother to say goodbye. She tried to comfort the other woman, saying she was all right. “‘I’m not, I’m bleeding from the mouth,’ the colleague said before closing her eyes for good,” the report said.
One woman said that as she lay wounded, a female co-worker who had been shot in the head asked her to call her mother to say goodbye. She tried to comfort the other woman, saying she was all right. “‘I’m not, I’m bleeding from the mouth,’ the colleague said before closing her eyes for good,” the report said.
Within six minutes of the first 911 call, San Bernardino officers reached the center — not a team, just the scattered few who arrived fastest. One was riding in a car driven by a trainee; when the call came, he took the wheel, sped to the scene, grabbed his shotgun and helmet, and told the trainee to hide.Within six minutes of the first 911 call, San Bernardino officers reached the center — not a team, just the scattered few who arrived fastest. One was riding in a car driven by a trainee; when the call came, he took the wheel, sped to the scene, grabbed his shotgun and helmet, and told the trainee to hide.
Thinking the attackers were still present, the first four officers entered the south side of the conference room.Thinking the attackers were still present, the first four officers entered the south side of the conference room.
They followed their active-shooter training, arranging themselves like the points of a diamond. They stuck to the guideline “locate, isolate, evacuate,” meaning find and neutralize the threat before helping victims.They followed their active-shooter training, arranging themselves like the points of a diamond. They stuck to the guideline “locate, isolate, evacuate,” meaning find and neutralize the threat before helping victims.
Officers from the county Probation Department quickly arrived and set up a triage area for the wounded. “The terror in their eyes was unbelievable; it was scarier than the wounds,” a probation sergeant said. Officers from the county Probation Department quickly arrived and set up a triage area for the wounded. “The terror in their eyes was unbelievable; it was scarier than the wounds,” a probation sergeant said. The draft version of the report quoted another sergeant describing a woman with “a hole in her leg that was the size of a cereal bowl,” who said, with a blank expression, “I am going to die, please don’t let me die.”
A San Bernardino SWAT team reached the scene within 11 minutes of the first call. A second SWAT team, drawn from the police departments of surrounding cities, came shortly after.A San Bernardino SWAT team reached the scene within 11 minutes of the first call. A second SWAT team, drawn from the police departments of surrounding cities, came shortly after.
Soon there were legions of officers from several local agencies. Many of them “self-deployed,” heading to the scene without waiting for instructions, which produced a rapid response but also uncertainty about who was doing what.Soon there were legions of officers from several local agencies. Many of them “self-deployed,” heading to the scene without waiting for instructions, which produced a rapid response but also uncertainty about who was doing what.
The report describes confusion and missteps similar to those that marked the police response to other mass attacks, like the Washington Navy Yard shooting in 2013 and the shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., in 2012. But the authors of the report also praised San Bernardino-area law enforcement agencies, noting that they had learned from previous episodes and had practiced working together.The report describes confusion and missteps similar to those that marked the police response to other mass attacks, like the Washington Navy Yard shooting in 2013 and the shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., in 2012. But the authors of the report also praised San Bernardino-area law enforcement agencies, noting that they had learned from previous episodes and had practiced working together.
The SWAT teams went room to room through the multiple buildings of the Inland Regional Center, which houses social service agencies, but they had no protocol for marking which rooms had been searched.The SWAT teams went room to room through the multiple buildings of the Inland Regional Center, which houses social service agencies, but they had no protocol for marking which rooms had been searched.
Officers stood outside with their guns trained on the second and third floors of one building, incorrectly suspecting that the shooters were hiding there. So many emergency vehicles were parked at random angles that ambulances could not get close to the complex, and officers carried the wounded out.Officers stood outside with their guns trained on the second and third floors of one building, incorrectly suspecting that the shooters were hiding there. So many emergency vehicles were parked at random angles that ambulances could not get close to the complex, and officers carried the wounded out.
Despite the confusion, emergency workers got all of the wounded to hospitals within 57 minutes of the first 911 call — inside the “golden hour” that experts say is a critical benchmark. All of them survived.Despite the confusion, emergency workers got all of the wounded to hospitals within 57 minutes of the first 911 call — inside the “golden hour” that experts say is a critical benchmark. All of them survived.
Investigators spent almost three hours inspecting a package on the second floor that proved harmless, but officers did not notice the bag containing the pipe bombs until 5:08 p.m.Investigators spent almost three hours inspecting a package on the second floor that proved harmless, but officers did not notice the bag containing the pipe bombs until 5:08 p.m.
After the shootout with the terrorists some officers said that while they were still trying to record the crime scene, federal agents were already removing evidence like weapons and a cellphone. After the shootout with the terrorists, some officers said that while they were still trying to record the crime scene, federal agents were already removing evidence like weapons and a cellphone.
A rookie officer got a crucial piece of information while interviewing witnesses and forwarded it to his father, a police sergeant. A county health worker had noticed that Farook left early and told the officer that “there was just something about the shooter, from his body language to his body composition, that seemed familiar.” A rookie officer got a crucial piece of information while interviewing witnesses and forwarded it to his father, a police sergeant. A county health worker had noticed that Mr. Farook had left early and told the officer that “there was just something about the shooter, from his body language to his body composition, that seemed familiar.”
A search turned up several people in the region named Syed Farook, and officers were sent to all of the addresses.A search turned up several people in the region named Syed Farook, and officers were sent to all of the addresses.
Some witnesses had seen a black S.U.V. leaving the center but did not get a license plate number. A Police Department analyst made another breakthrough when she guessed that the S.U.V. might have been rented. She called rental agencies and learned that a Syed Farook had rented such a vehicle. After the police put out word that a black S.U.V. had been seen leaving the center, several people called with tips, including one caller who had memorized a Utah license plate. A Police Department analyst found that the Utah-registered vehicle belonged to a rental car company and learned by calling the company that the S.U.V. had been rented by a Syed Farook.
Word went out on the radio that he lived a few minutes away, in the city of Redlands.Word went out on the radio that he lived a few minutes away, in the city of Redlands.
Among those responding was a San Bernardino police narcotics team, but other officers did not know that. The narcotics officers were undercover, driving unmarked cars and not talking on their radios, in case criminals were listening.Among those responding was a San Bernardino police narcotics team, but other officers did not know that. The narcotics officers were undercover, driving unmarked cars and not talking on their radios, in case criminals were listening.
As they neared the Redlands address, the narcotics officers saw the S.U.V. and followed it. One officer flagged down a passing Redlands police sergeant and told him what was happening; the sergeant put the information out over the police radio. The sergeant and a sheriff’s deputy joined the undercover officers following the couple.As they neared the Redlands address, the narcotics officers saw the S.U.V. and followed it. One officer flagged down a passing Redlands police sergeant and told him what was happening; the sergeant put the information out over the police radio. The sergeant and a sheriff’s deputy joined the undercover officers following the couple.
After the couple drove back to San Bernardino, the sergeant tried to pull them over, alerting them that they were being followed.After the couple drove back to San Bernardino, the sergeant tried to pull them over, alerting them that they were being followed.
Malik started shooting at the officers through the back window of the S.U.V. Farook then stopped the vehicle and stepped out, firing his rifle as his wife kept shooting from the back seat. Together they fired 80 shots and had almost 2,400 more rounds of ammunition, but as more officers arrived, they were heavily outgunned. Ms. Malik started shooting at the officers through the back window of the S.U.V. Mr. Farook then stopped the vehicle and stepped out, firing his rifle as his wife kept shooting from the back seat. Together they fired at least 81 shots and had almost 2,400 more rounds of ammunition, but as more officers arrived, they were heavily outgunned.
Most of the shots that hit Farook struck his legs, possibly because officers believed — erroneously — that the couple were wearing body armor. Most of the shots that hit Mr. Farook struck his legs, possibly because officers believed — erroneously — that the couple were wearing body armor.
Four of the five rounds that hit Malik struck her in the head. Two of the 13 rounds that hit Ms. Malik struck her in the head.
The shootout lasted about three minutes, but in that time, 24 officers fired 440 rounds, riddling the S.U.V. with bullet holes. By the time it ended, 175 local, state and federal officers were at the scene. The shootout lasted about three minutes, but in that time, 24 officers fired at least 440 rounds, riddling the S.U.V. with bullet holes. By the time it ended, more than 175 local, state and federal officers were at the scene.
Remarkably, only two officers were hurt, each with a wound to the thigh. One did not realize he had been hit until 13 hours later, when he took a shower.Remarkably, only two officers were hurt, each with a wound to the thigh. One did not realize he had been hit until 13 hours later, when he took a shower.