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San Bernardo Mass Shooting. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired December 3, 2015 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[09:00:03] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Reporting live from San Bernardino, California. Thank you so much for joining me -- for joining me this morning.

Southern California, the scene of a deadly rampage and the search for a motive after police say the suspects were not on law enforcement radar. Officers deploying a robot to search a home connected to the shooting in nearby San Bernardino. Hours earlier they found three unexploded bombs at the scene of the massacre.

But why? Why do Syed Rizwan Farook and his partner Tashfeen Malik carry out this nation's worst mass murder since Sandy Hook? He was a U.S. citizen. She was his wife. Police say they both opened fire at a holiday party for his fellow county employees. 14 people dead, 17 wounded.

Was it workplace violence or was it terrorism? Before -- before those questions can be answered, both shooters die in a gunfight with police. Listen to the explosions of gunfire captured by a neighbor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy (EXPLETIVE DELETED) guys. Shots rang out. Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Oh, my gosh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guys, this is shot at my house right now. There's cops all over the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) yard. Holy (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Just got shot at in my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) yard. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) boy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Chilling, right? Well, let's head to the suspects' neighborhood in Redlands, California, CNN's Victor Blackwell is there, he has more on this intense shootout with police yesterday.

Good morning, Victor.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you. This neighborhood still minutes from sunrise on the following day. It is still shut down. Investigators are back here now looking for clues inside the home of these shooters. We know they spent hours into the evening searching for explosives potentially. They found none. Now the FBI is back inside. But this time they are looking for answers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BLACKWELL (voice-over): Breaking overnight, two shooters in San Bernardino's mass shooting identified. Police say the shooters, 28- year-old Syed Rizwan Farook, and 27-year-old Tashfeen Malik, were shot dead in this black SUV at the end of a massive manhunt. Overnight a SWAT team sweeping this Redlands home for explosives.

JARROD BURGUAN, SAN BERNARDINO POLICE CHIEF: Well, until we know the motive or we really have a clear -- something clear evidentiary based on that motive, I just don't want to weigh in on that right now. We have not ruled out terrorism.

BLACKWELL: The massacre began around 11 a.m. at the Inland Regional Center. Authorities say the county's health department was having a holiday party at the time. Police say Farook was an inspector for the department. He abruptly left the holiday party after a dispute and came back, they think, alongside Malik, opening fire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard rapid shootings. Just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

BLACKWELL: Armed with AR-15 style rifles and two semiautomatic handguns, investigators say the shooters came equipped, dressed in tactical gear. Family members receiving gut-wrenching messages from loved ones that an active shooting was taking place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Shooting at my work. People shot. In the office, waiting for cops."

BLACKWELL: This was the frightening scene inside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready? If you're not cool, I'm not walking a bit.

BLACKWELL: Dozens of employees being led to safety by police officers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Try to relax. Try to relax. I'll take a bullet before you do, that's for damn sure.

BLACKWELL: The shooters killing 14, wounding 17 more. The pair fleeing in a black SUV, prompting police, FBI and SWAT teams to launch a massive manhunt. Hours later, a tip leading authorities to the Redlands home, where they spotted a suspicious SUV, resulting in a wild police chase.

About two miles from Inland Regional Center police engage in a bloody shoot-out with this black SUV. Both shooters now dead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's your exact location?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're at San Bernardino and Shedden. San Bernardino and Shedden. There's one guy down and one guy in the back of a car. Going to need that BearCat.

BLACKWELL: Law enforcement sources tell CNN Farook is a U.S. citizen, and a relative says he and Malik had a 6-month-old baby girl. FARHAN KHAN, SYED FAROOK'S BROTHER IN LAW: I spoke to Malik a week

ago.

BLACKWELL: His brother-in-law at a loss for words.

KHAN: They saw the people lost their lives with guns out there. I speak directly to them, and again, I am in shock. Why would he do something like this? I have absolutely no idea. I'm in shock myself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: As you hear, shock from the family of Syed Farook. FBI agents in and around this home this morning looking for answers to the question of course, why? Maybe there are writings, electronics and laptops, and of course any clues if there are any other persons or maybe a larger network involved in the planning of this attack that ended with the death of 14 innocent people --Carol.

[09:05:13] COSTELLO: Such a confusing case. Victor Blackwell, we'll get back to you. Thanks so much.

Of course police are still searching for clues this morning but investigators think yesterday's rampage was well-planned. The shooters used multiple weapons, including assault rifles, wore tactical gear, and had explosive devices, both real and possible decoys.

Now that question for so many people, was it terrorism? Was it workplace violence? What was it?

To discuss this, I'm joined by our chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, and CNN law enforcement analysts and former Navy SEAL, Jonathan Gilliam.

Jim, I want to start with you. The shooter in this case, Syed Farook, he worked at -- he worked at this county office for five years. He made good money. $70,000 a year. He was recently married to his wife. They had a newborn baby. He wasn't on any terror watch list or on the FBI's radar. What do authorities make of this?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: They are trying to make something of it right now. They're not ruling anything out. They've not ruled out terrorism but they also have not ruled out that it was workplace violence or frankly some combination of the two.

Let's talk about what we know about the suspects so far. So, Farook, 28, he worked at the Inland Regional Center where the shooting took place. In fact he was at the holiday party apparently earlier the day and left possibly after some altercation. His job, a health specialist. Described by his father as religious, though on social media profiles he described himself as moderate, a mix of western and eastern values, Western and Muslim values.

Let's talk about the woman we now know to be his wife. She was Tashfeen Malik, 27 years old. This one of the many unusual details of the case because very rarely do you have multiple shooters in active shooter situations. Extremely rare do you have women. And the idea of having a man and a woman together, husband and wife really just unheard of. And this detail as well. They have a 6-month child who they left with a grandparent that morning. They said they had a doctor's appointment and then they went on to do what they did.

That, one of the many details that has led investigators to speak about planning, that they were asking about planning.

Let's get now to the weapons that they were carrying. Two long rifles, assault rifles and two handguns. Those two long rifles, AR-15 type rifles. Many Americans might be familiar with them. A lot of cops use them. A lot of soldiers use them, 223 caliber. They are powerful, they are semi-automatic. The handguns, semi-automatic as well, allows you to shoot a lot of people in a short amount of time sadly.

And then these final details, three pipe bomb type explosive devices, possibly attached to a toy, a remote controlled car, that could have allowed them to move it or detonate it in some way. They're not sure if they try to detonate it and didn't work or they didn't try. One of the many things they're investigating but a sign there, one, of planning, two that they intended to cause more violence and more bloodshed.

It is, I'll tell you speaking to -- Carol, speaking to a lot of people involved in this case they are trying to figure out that key question, what motivated this. One detail I can add, you mentioned it briefly, he was not known, Syed Farook, before this to the FBI. In other words he did not have a history at least to the knowledge of the U.S. law enforcement.

COSTELLO: Not only that. His fellow employees, the very same people at that Christmas party recently threw him a baby shower because the baby is only six months old.

So, Jonathan, I want to ask you about that. It appears planned, right? But why did this guy go to the Christmas party, hang out there for a while, have words with someone, and then leave and come back?

JONATHAN GILLIAM, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Of course that's the big question here, Carol. And everything that Jim just laid out, we are clearly seeing that this was not a reactionary attack. It wasn't just simply that he went there, maybe had an argument so he went home and loaded up an arsenal, made a bunch of IEDs, improvised explosive devices, and packed a bunch of war bags. I mean, that just -- that didn't happen. They already had those things planned. They had them -- and these things that they had were planned for really carry-on or long-term type of attacks, not just one immediate attack.

And I think that they wanted to get out of that area so they could continue to attack. I think what you're seeing here that's kind of throwing everybody off is the fact that there was nothing that gave anybody a little bit of an insight that this may occur with these two individuals. But I'll have to tell you from a tactical standpoint, that's exactly what different groups that want to stay convert and do attacks. That's the way they will work. I mean, they don't go around advertising that they want to do a terrorist attack. So this could be a very, very successful convert lead-up to a planned attack.

[09:10:14] COSTELLO: OK. So, Jim, most people frankly, some people have their minds made up. They insist that this has to be an act of terrorism inspired perhaps by ISIS. Police are not so sure. So what will police have to do to determine to decide whether it's domestic terrorism or terrorism inspired by some terror group overseas?

SCIUTTO: Well, for anybody who has their minds made up, just make this clear. No one investigating this case have their minds made up. They are leaving all possibilities open here. The fact is, they don't know for sure. They don't know if it's terrorism, they don't know if it's workplace violence. In fact it has signs of both of those things and that's why they're even holding open the possibility that it was two, a combination perhaps.

What are they looking for now? They're going to be looking to a whole host of things. Who are they in contact with? Did they have material on their computers that spoke of either workplace grievances or an affinity for extremism, extremist views. International travel, they are looking at very closely to see if that can be a clue. All those things will come together, as well as the kinds of people that they were in contact with.

We know that they were not known -- rather Farook was not known to the FBI but was he in contact with people who were known to the FBI? That's another sign. So, you know, no one should have their minds made up because the people investigating this, who do this every day, they certainly do not have their minds made up.

COSTELLO: OK. Before I go to break, I must talk about the tremendous courage of police officers who responded to this grizzly scene, and I'm going to play a piece of video for you from inside that county office inside that Christmas party as police were trying to get people out safely.

Jonathan, I want you to watch and then after it airs, I want you to take us through it. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready? If you're not cool, I'm not walking off this. Sir? Go. Go. Keep your hands where I can see them all the way to that deputy. Make a left where the deputy's at. Thank you. Thank you. Try to relax, everyone. Try to relax. I'll take a bullet before you do. That's for damn sure. Just be cool, OK?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right, Jonathan. So you heard that police officer, "I'll take a bullet before you so don't worry." And he kept everyone so calm. That is just so admirable.

GILLIAM: You know these are tense situations but this is where law enforcement and well-trained law enforcement really steps up to the plate. And you see how the officers were coordinating with each other. They are also coordinating with outside entities to make sure that they are ready for them to bring them out because they don't want to just bring them out into an uncontrolled area. So my hats are off to them.

I think this is the second time in about a week where we've seen in two different locations law enforcement handle these situations properly. And in the way they ex fill them out of these buildings. And you know, the officers, thye are putting -- even though those these people have their hands in the air, that's for safety reasons. Make no mistake about it these officers are putting their life on the line for these people and they would not let them get hurt. It's just a very admirable, admirable things to do and my hats off to them. They did a great job.

COSTELLO: They absolutely did. Jonathan Gilliam, Jim Sciutto, thanks to both of you. You'll be back so stick around. We have to talk about the victims in this case. 14 people killed. 17 others wounded.

This powerful image captured moments after the rampage. Family and friends of the victims hand in hand praying. One of those injured is 27-year-old Denise Peraza. Her sister spoke with KABC. We'll hear from her in just a minute. First Dr. Sanjay Gupta, he's outside one of the hospitals where she and others are being treated this morning.

Sanjay, what can you tell us?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know here at Arrowhead Medical Facility which is not too far away from the scene, Carol. There are six patients being treated here. We're hoping to get an update on their conditions a little later on.

There is another hospital, another trauma center also not too far, Loma Linda. Two patients in critical condition over there, three patients are in fair condition. And then one patient was discharged.

This is going to be ongoing for some time. And these are some significant injuries as you know, Carol. And I just want to put a punctuation mark on something you were just talking about with regard to law enforcement. So many of the first responders that go into these situations as well have to go into a situation that is still active. And a lot of times in the past, in years past, they would into sort of a cold area first and then be taken in when the area was completely clear. It's challenging to do that. It costs too much times sometimes. So law enforcement also many times escorting first responders into these situations so they can take care of the injured. It's just -- it is remarkable work. I heard you talking about it. It happened with some of the people who are in this hospital here behind me at the same time.

Also, Denise Peraza (ph), her sister, she spoke about what happened to Denise. Denise called her from the scene before she was even cared for. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE BALDWIN, SISTER OF SHOOTING VICTIM: She said, Steph, I was shot. And she was crying. And so I knew she was serious. And I was just like what happened? And she just said she was at a work thing and the shooters came in and she was shot and she was scared. And she said, I just wanted to tell you that I love you.

And that -- and then she said she had to go and she hung up. She said that as soon as the gunfire started, everyone dropped to the floor and they were underneath desks and she was trying to shield herself with a chair with the man next to her and then all of a sudden she said she just felt it like go in through her back and luckily, you know, the shooters weren't there for too long and they were able to get her out of there quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: It's remarkable, Carol. I mean, I don't know. We don't hear that sort of thing often. But she felt it going through her back, referring to a bullet in her lower back. She's in a hospital here behind me. She's expected to be OK. That gives a little insight into what was happening and also how quickly some of the response arrived.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You know, I was just thinking, Sanjay Gupta, that you hear that kind of story all too often these days. It is just -- it's just become sadly familiar.

Dr. Sanjay -- go ahead.

GUPTA: Yes. It has become familiar. I just -- remarkable to have the presence of mind to call your family member at the time this is happening. I just -- you're right. I mean, 355 mass shootings this year, I mean, more than days of the year. It has become too familiar.

And I'll tell you. In hospitals the protocols have changed the type of training doctors and nurses go through has changed. This hospital was on lockdown during this whole incident because they could potentially have been a part of this thing, at Loma Linda, not far from here, there was a bomb scare simultaneously.

So you can just imagine. We see the headlines but what goes on a lot of times behind the scenes. They've got to take care of people while risking their own lives to do so. Again, Carol, we talked about it earlier. It's truly remarkable work.

COSTELLO: All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much.

I want to take you to Washington right now, because the attorney general of the United States, Loretta Lynch, is speaking right now, I believe. She's not speaking, oh, there she is. She's behind the podium.

We are monitoring her remarks. Actually let's dip in right now to hear what she's talking about.

LORETTA LYNCH, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Let me simply say that whatever the results of this investigation, we don't know a lot right now. But one thing is clear, that violence like this has no place in this country and in this nation.

(APPLAUSE)

This is not what we stand for. This is not what we do. This is not what we work for. It is not what we live for. It is antithetical to our values.

Now, I don't have any operational updates to you at this time. Those will come later, from local authorities who are on the scene. But I do want to express not only my deepest condolences ands ask that you join me in standing with our colleagues, our friends and partners in San Bernardino who are suffering with this, and add all of our thoughts and prayers to that is being held here today now at this time, because we're at the point where these issues have come together really like never before in law enforcement thought and in our nation's history and it gives us a wonderful opportunity and a wonderful moment to really make significant change.

You all are such a distinguished group of advocates, of lawmakers, judge, experts. And we're all here to talk about today how we can ensure that our legal system serves every American faithfully, fairly, regardless of their economic systems.

So, let me pose the beginning question of the day: What is the price of justice? What is the price of justice?

Some 52 years after Gideon versus Wainwright was decided by the Supreme Court, we are still -- still seeing ways in which one of our most cherished ideals has been overlaid with costs that are really bourn by those who can least afford to pay. And few questions are more deserving of our time and attention. I think this is really one of the leading criminal justice questions of the day.

[09:20:00] Because the work we do in this area --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello live in San Bernardino, California, this morning.

You can see to my right, we have aerial pictures of the Inland Regional Center, the social services center about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. This is where that terrible shooting went down yesterday afternoon when Syed Farook and Tashfeen Mali, a husband-wife team according to police, just opened fire inside, killing 14 people, 17 others wounded this morning.

The entire community reeling here. Witnesses and families reliving the horror just after it unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She said the guy shot next -- came in next to her office and I guess started shooting. They locked himself in, in her office. They'd seen bodies on the floor. And she said right now, ambulances are taking people out in stretchers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had to come out with our hands up, and be escorted across the street to the golf course and stood there for hours, hours, witnessing clothing of deceased ones in the street, people crying, coworkers crying.

[09:25:14] Us wanting to get to our children, families and loved ones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: You know, the sun is coming up here. I wish you could see behind me how beautiful California, how beautiful the San Bernardino area is. You can see the mountains in the background and it is just sad that I have to be here talking about such an ugly tragic event this morning.

On the phone with me now, Doug Saunders, a reporter with "The San Bernardino Sun".

Welcome, Doug.

DOUG SAUNDERS, SAN BERNARDINO SUN (via telephone): Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: You were on the scene yesterday. Tell me what you saw.

SAUNDERS: I got -- so, I got to the scene just before they set up a perimeter. And when I got there, SWAT teams from all over the area were arriving. They put on their body armor and they started moving towards the buildings. I eventually was pushed into a warehouse directly across the street from the Inland Regional Center.

And from there, I could see people inside being escorted out, hands in the air. You know, and they -- they -- the police pretty much, it was controlled chaos. They did a fantastic job clearing, getting people out.

COSTELLO: Doug, as a member of the community, like, try to divorce yourself from the newspaper for a minute and tell me what effect this is having on your community.

SAUNDERS: Well, you know, I grew up here.

This is tragic not just for the entire community, but for the entire country. This is something that's going to be felt for a long time. There is people that are just -- they are scared.

COSTELLO: You know, so many of these kind of tragedies happen. Sometimes I feel like America's becoming numb, but then when a new one occurs, there is just this intense sadness and sort of a feeling of helplessness.

SAUNDERS: I don't know if it's more hopelessness or anger that it's senseless.

You know, I spoke to somebody yesterday -- a police officer. And he said that this is -- and he spent three years in Iraq as a soldier. And he said this is the worst he's ever seen. So, you know, I think just the senseless violence. It is plaguing the society. Police are still trying to figure out why these two people rushed into

a Christmas party and opened fire. Hopefully they will have more answers, in a little while this morning. Doug, Saunders, I appreciate it.

Still to come in THE NEWSROOM:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have a pattern now of mass shootings in this country that has no parallel anywhere else in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The deadliest mass shooting in the United States and third in less than a week. Will San Bernardino force lawmakers to address gun violence?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)