San Bernardino marks one-year anniversary
of shooting that killed 14
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[December 02, 2016]
By Alex Dobuzinskis
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Police and fire
officials in Southern California who dealt with the carnage of a mass
shooting by Islamic militants that left 14 people dead will mark the
one-year anniversary on Friday of the attack that shook even the most
hardened emergency responders.
The massacre on Dec. 2, 2015, in San Bernardino by a married couple was
one of the deadliest attacks by militants in the United States since the
Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks.
Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29, opened fire
during a party and training session for San Bernardino County employees,
who were Farook's co-workers, wounding 22 people in addition to the 14
killed.
Police officers were stunned as they entered the conference room where
Farook and Malik had fired on dozens of people, according to a report
issued this year by the Police Foundation, which spoke to emergency
responders and witnesses.
"It looked like a bomb had gone off," the report said, with blood
covering the room and the smell of gunpowder filling the air.
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On Friday, the victims will be remembered with a ceremony at a San
Bernardino blood bank, a 14-mile (23 km) bicycle ride - representing one
mile for each person killed - and a moment of silence.
The ceremony at the blood bank will be attended by officials and
emergency responders, and residents are expected to line up to donate
blood. The bike ride by police officers and others will be held a short
time later, organizers said.
The moment of silence will be held at 10:58 a.m., the time when the
shooting was reported to emergency responders, San Bernardino city
spokeswoman Monica Lagos said.
In the evening, another local event is expected to draw at least 2,000
participants to an arena, she said.
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![](../images/120216pics/news_c5.jpg)
Neighbours comfort Jose Gonzales (centre), who was prevented from
returning to his wife and his home at the scene of the investigation
around the area of the SUV vehicle where two suspects were shot by
police following a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California
December 3, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Dec/02/images/ads/current/watkins_lda_CHRISTMAS_2016.png)
Authorities have said that U.S.-born Farook and Malik, a native of
Pakistan, were inspired by Islamic extremism. The couple died in a
shootout with police four hours after the massacre.
A special report this week by ABC News showed a photo of the
gathering the couple had targeted, which included elements of a
holiday party such as a Christmas tree and costumes.
San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan told ABC News that Malik
had previously expressed discontent with the party.
"She had essentially made the statement in an online account that
she didn't think that a Muslim (her husband) should have to
participate in a non-Muslim holiday or event," Burguan told ABC
News.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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