14 dead in U.S. disabled centre gun carnage

Suspect killed as cops hunt down three men 

 

TWO armed suspects - one male and one female - were killed by police after a mass shooting in California left 14 people dead.
The shooters were armed with AK-47-type assault rifles when they opened fire at a centre for the disabled.
Three masked suspects in body armour blasted a packed room in America’s latest gun slaughter in California.
Two were later killed in a dramatic shoot-out with cops. One suspect was named by police as Syed Farook.

 

 

Shoot-out ... cops killed suspect after cornering 4x4 

 

Another 17 people were wounded by the heavily-armed murder gang, who burst into a conference room at the building in San Bernardino, east of Los Angeles.
Local health officials holding a banquet are believed to have been the target of the attack at the Inland Regional Center.
The FBI is not ruling out the possibility of terrorism but the situation is still being investigated.

 

 

Tears ... hug for a survivor 

 

Centre executive director Lavinia Johnson said the Department of Health had rented the room.
An employee said: “It was a banquet for county personnel. There were at least 100 people inside.”
Local resident Terry Pettit revealed his daughter was working inside the building and texted him as she hid. Her message was: “Shooting at my work. People shot. In an office waiting for cops. Pray for us.”
Another man whose wife was working at the centre, which helps people with developmental disabilities, said: “The guy came in next to her office and started shooting. They have seen bodies on the floor.
“She texted me and said there was a shooter outside and she was locked in her office. She said, ‘I love you.’ I left work and got here as soon as I could. She was able to get out of the building but there were still people inside.”

Wounded ... victim on stretcher 

Armed police rushed to the scene at about 11.15am local time — 7.15pm in the UK.
Witnesses told police they saw three men jump into a black 4x4 and drive away after the bloodshed.
A suspect was shot dead four hours later as gun cops were seen surrounding a black SUV, which had its windows blown out, in a San Bernardino suburb.
Police said they were still hunting the other suspects.
San Bernardino police chief Jarrod Burguan last night described the horror as “domestic terrorism”.
He said: “These are people who came prepared as if they were on a mission. They were dressed and equipped with long guns.”
Officers were also investigating a suspected explosive device left at the scene.
President Obama declared: “There are steps we can take to make Americans safer.
“We should never think this is something that just happens in the normal course of events.
“We have a pattern now of mass shootings in this country that has no parallel anywhere else in the world.”
The attack came days after a shooting at an abortion clinic in Colorado. Robert Lewis Dear has appeared in court on suspicion of first-degree murder after three people were shot dead.

Rescue ... police lead people to safety