SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Dec. 3 (Gephardt Daily) ─ Pres. Barak Obama on Thursday expressed his condolences to those who lost loved ones in Wednesday’s mass shooting, in San Bernardino, and he called for lawmakers to support “… basic steps that would make it harder, not impossible but harder, to get access to weapons.”
The two shooters, who died in Wednesday in a gun battle with police, have been identified as Syed Rizwan Farook and wife Tashfeen Malik.
San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said Farook, 28, was born in the United States. Farook reportedly met Malik, 27, earlier this year in Saudi Arabia, and Malik moved to America. The couple reportedly has a 6-month-old daughter.
No decisive motivation has been determined for the Wednesday attack, which left 14 dead and 17 wounded. Farook was an San Bernardino County employee, working as an environmental health specialist for the Department of Health. He attended a county-hosted holiday party, at Inland Regional Center, but left after an argument. He returned with his wife, and both were dressed in black, with their faces covered, and had guns.
Investigators are unsure whether the attack should be classified as terrorism, as workplace violence, or as some combination of the two. Obama confirmed that an investigation into the pair’s motives was ongoing.
The president praised the San Bernardino Police Department and other public safety agencies for their work in containing the suspects and securing the scene. He lamented that, “… so many Americans feel there is nothing we can do about it….. We all have a part to do.”
Obama, speaking about recent mass shootings, asked for support of legislation that would, “… make it a little harder for them to do it, because right now, far too easy.”
Investigators also are looking into a possible Utah connection, since the black SUV Farook and Malik were using and died in had Utah licence plates.
According to Sgt. Todd Royce, public information officer for the Utah Department of Public Safety, “Investigators at the State Information Analysis Center (SIAC) are actively assisting the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office in providing any information regarding any connection to Utah.”
Royce said any findings regarding a Utah link would be released by authorities in California.
