UPDATED: Dec. 2, 2015, 10:13 p.m. PT
The latest:
At least 14 people are dead; at least 17 others wounded.
Two suspects are dead after an officer-involved shooting following a car chase.
The suspects were identified as Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, and authorities say they were married.
The motive behind the attack is unknown.
The two armed assailants who killed at least 14 people and injured at least 17 others in a shooting during a holiday party in San Bernardino, California before being killed during a shootout with police Wednesday have been identified by San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan.
The suspects were identified as Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27 during a press conference late Wednesday. Farook, a U.S. citizen, had been an environmental specialist in the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, whose holiday gathering in a conference room at the Inland Regional Center was the center of the attack. Burguan said the two suspects were romantically involved and Farook attended the event with other county employees before leaving angrily. Malik's nationality is unknown. Relatives told the Associated Press that the two shooters were married.
The heavily armed couple, dressed in tactical gear, were killed during a car chase amid a manhunt following the shooting. One police officer was injured during the confrontation. The chase began after officials followed up on tips that led authorities to a home in Redlands that was connected to Farook and spotted the suspects' dark-colored SUV.
Another person, who was seen fleeing the gun battle near the SUV, has been detained, the FBI's David Bowdich said at an earlier press conference, but their involvement is unclear and police continue to search for more information.
Police have not pinned down a motive, but believe the attack was planned in advance, Burguan said, adding that domestic terrorism has not been ruled out.
Farook's brother-in-law, Farhan Khan, said he was shocked by the shooting and Farook's involvement at an evening press conference in Anaheim, California organized by the Los Angeles office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California.
"I have no idea why would he do that, why he would do something like this," Khan said, visibly shaken. Khan, acting as a spokesperson for Farook's family, expressed sorrow for the victims and wished them a speedy recovery. He is married to Farook's sister and last spoke to Farook a week ago. Muslim community leaders also cautioned that people should not jump to condemn Islam for the shooting.
The afternoon gun battle, which left the SUV riddled with bullets, was televised live. A body could be seen lying near the vehicle. The suspects threw a fake pipe bomb out of their car toward police, Meredith Davis, a spokeswoman with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told KCAL 9. A material that looked like a wick was fastened to a copper pipe, she said. The surrounding area was temporarily shut down and people were asked to stay indoors and secure their homes. The SUV "was cleared of any explosive devices," San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said on Twitter.
Bullet-riddled SUV in 1300 block of S. Waterman in San Bernardino https://t.co/u5lTveArpyhttps://t.co/fZr7k2Srd2— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) December 2, 2015
Police found what could potentially be an explosive device at the shooting location and proceeded cautiously with their search of the Redlands home where the chase began, sending in robots to scour the site.
"These are people that came prepared," Burguan said. He added that the shooters were "armed with long guns, not handguns."
The Inland Regional Center is a state-funded nonprofit that works with people with developmental disabilities and their families.
A local NBC affiliate aired video showing multiple victims, some of them bloodied and lying in the street as emergency workers tended to them after the attack. Others were wheeled away on gurneys.
Family members awaited those who had been evacuated from the building at the Hernandez Community Center.
The Hernandez Center on Third and Sierra Way has been set up for family members to go for information #SanBernardino— SB County Sheriff (@sbcountysheriff) December 2, 2015
Employees from the IRC building arriving at the Hernandez center. pic.twitter.com/aX2hHCLahe— Crystal Cruz (@CrystalCruzCBS) December 3, 2015
A White House official confirmed that President Barack Obama was briefed on the shooting. During a previously scheduled interview with CBS News, Obama spoke about the shooting, noting that the situation was still active.
"The one thing we do know is that we have a pattern now of mass shootings in this country that has no parallel anywhere else in the world and there are some steps we could take, not to eliminate every one of these mass shooting, but to improve the odds that they don't happen as frequently," said Obama, once again reiterating calls to tighten gun control laws to prevent future shootings.
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"For those who are concerned about terrorism, 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 that we don't allow to fly could go into stores in the United States and buy a firearm and there's nothing we could do to stop them. That's a law that needs to change."
Inland Regional Center president and CEO Marybeth Field said the focus of the shooting was on a building that houses at least 25 employees as well as a library and conference center. The public health department confirmed that several of its employees were inside when the attack began, according to the AP. Field said that people served by the center also would have been in the building.
A man whose daughter was at the center spoke to KTLA and said San Bernardino County had rented the conference center for a holiday party and award ceremony. She was in the bathroom when she heard gunshots.
Terry Petit says he got a text from his daughter saying she was hiding after gunfire erupted at the social services facility in Southern California where she works. Petit choked back tears Wednesday as he read the texts for reporters outside Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino.
He says she wrote: "People shot. In the office waiting for cops. Pray for us. I am locked in an office."
Father reads text from daughter: "Shooting at my work. People shot...Pray for us." https://t.co/Hv8FNXsc3Xhttps://t.co/vEnH2FNdBe— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) December 2, 2015
Dozens of people were seen evacuating from the building with their hands in the air. Those evacuated from the building were escorted to a nearby golf course by police.
People are escorted into the San Bernardino golf club after active shooter took place at Inland Regional Center pic.twitter.com/Afv1MxXp0K— Micah Escamilla (@MicahEscamilla) December 2, 2015
The Inland Regional Center held a separate holiday party on Tuesday for those who attend the facility. They posted video of the festivities to their Twitter account and photos to their Facebook page showing the celebrations.
The ICF Holiday Party is in full swing! ☃ pic.twitter.com/AzOCbliVmb— Inland RC (@InlandRegional) December 1, 2015