San Bernardino Shooting Live Updates: Who Are Tashfeen Malik And Syed Rizwan Farook? Police Chief Confirms Identity Of Suspects

UPDATE: 6:37 a.m. EST -- Two assault rifles and two handguns used in Wednesday’s mass shooting in Southern California were all purchased legally in the United States, federal authorities said, according to the Associated Press.

A person who purchased two of the guns is now under investigation. Investigators are currently working to make a connection to the last legal purchaser of the guns.

Meredith Davis of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives said late Wednesday that all four guns were purchased four years ago, but did not mention whether they were bought out of state or how the weapons got into the hands of the two shooters. She added that California requires paperwork when guns change hands privately unlike many other states.

UPDATE: 6:06 a.m. EST -- The two suspects in Wednesday’s mass shooting in Southern California were married to each other for two years, according to reports.

Syed Rizwan Farook reportedly joined colleagues at an annual holiday party for the San Bernardino County Public Health Department at the Inland Regional Center but left the event after a dispute. Later, he and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, returned dressed in tactical gear and carrying assault rifles, officials said, according to the New York Times.

The motive of the shooting remains unclear, and Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Los Angeles, urged people not to jump to conclusions.

“Is it work?” Ayloush reportedly said. “Rage-related? Is it mental illness? Extreme ideology?”

Farook’s work involved inspecting restaurants, bakeries and public swimming pools for the county department, according to inspection reports. Online records indicate Farook was paid about $70,000 a year, the Times reported.

UPDATE: 3:01 a.m. EST -- Southern California county will close most of its offices for the rest of the week in the wake of the mass shooting at a social services facility in San Bernardino that left 14 dead. James Ramos, chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, said only essential offices will remain open Thursday and Friday, according to the Associated Press.

UPDATE: 2:05 a.m. EST -- Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the suspects involved in the mass shooting in Southern California Wednesday, traveled to Saudi Arabia earlier this year and returned with a wife, whom he met online, his co-workers reportedly said. As authorities released little information about the suspects, Farook's colleagues from San Bernardino County’s Public Health Department opened up about him.

Patrick Baccari, a food inspector who shared a cubicle with Farook, told the Los Angeles Times that the 28-year-old and his wife had a baby and appeared to be “living the American dream.”

Farook’s colleagues reportedly said that he was a devout Muslim, but rarely discussed religion at work. “He never struck me as a fanatic, he never struck me as suspicious,” Griselda Reisinger, who worked with Farook before leaving the agency in May, told the LA Times.

Farook was present at the Inland Regional Center along with his colleagues, but reportedly disappeared just as a group photo was about to be taken. Shortly afterward, he returned to the meeting following which gunfire erupted at the venue leaving 14 people dead.

UPDATE: 1:39 a.m. EST -- San Bernardino police chief Jarrod Burguan said late Wednesday that police have not ruled out terrorism as a motive in the mass shooting in Southern California. He said that, based on the armor and level of preparation, “there had to be some degree of planning in this.”

Authorities reportedly said that three explosive devices found at the scene of shooting were “disposed of.” While investigators believe the devices were a “pipe bomb-type design,” Burguan could not confirm that at this stage. The suspects, who were shot dead during a police standoff, were armed with .223 caliber assault rifles as well as handguns.

A police officer who was injured during the shootout with the suspects -- Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27 -- is at a hospital and is expected to survive, authorities reportedly said.

Burguan also told reporters that the two suspects were in a relationship but it was unclear if they were married or engaged. According to the Associated Press, relatives have said that Farook and Malik were married.

UPDATE: 1:07 a.m. EST -- San Bernardino police chief Jarrod Burguan confirmed late Wednesday the identity of the two suspects as Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27. Burguan said that 14 people were killed at the mass shooting in Southern California Wednesday and 17 others were injured.

Burguan said that Farook had been employed at the public health department for five years and was briefly at the meeting taking place at the Inland Regional Center. He also said that it was unclear what relationship the two suspects shared with each other.

Burguan reportedly added that he is “pretty comfortable” that the two identified were the two shooters who are now dead. He said that none of the victims have been identified yet as police have only just gained access to the shooting scene.

Farook was born and raised in the United States and his parents hailed from Pakistan, Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Los Angeles, said late Wednesday.

Ayloush also said in a press conference that Farook and his wife have been missing since Wednesday morning. The couple reportedly left their 6-month-old child with the suspect’s mother, saying that they were going for a doctor’s appointment.

Four hours after the shooting at the at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, police shot dead two suspects -- a man and a woman -- during a standoff.

Original story:

Farhan Khan, the brother-in-law of one of the suspects involved in the mass shooting in Southern California Wednesday, expressed regret during a conference held by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Syed Farook has been identified as one of the suspects in the shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, that left at least 14 dead and at least 17 injured.

"I am in shock that something like this can happen," Khan said, adding that he has “no idea … why he (Syed Farook) would do something like this." He declined to comment when asked if Farook was religious.

Khan, who is married to Farook's sister, Saira Khan, said that he last spoke to his brother-in-law about a week ago. He also said that he has no idea what might have motivated the attack.

Muzammil Siddiqi, chairman of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, also expressed his “sadness and sorrow” for the victims of the shooting.

“We are in solidarity with them," Siddiqi said, while condemning the “horrible violence," and urged people not to condemn Islam.

At least two heavily armed gunmen opened fire at the center that serves people with developmental disabilities. Two suspects -- a man and a woman -- were killed in a police standoff four hours after the shooting.

San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan reportedly said that both the suspects were armed with assault rifles, handguns and "assault-style clothing" when they were shot dead.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) confirmed that at least one of the four firearms retrieved by investigators was legally purchased, the Guardian reported, citing CNN. However, the name of the purchaser has not been made public. The motive of the mass shooting remains unclear.

"It's not a time for us to become angry but to realize there is a need to be very cautious," San Bernardino Mayor Carey Davis said late Wednesday. Davis held a press conference to offer his condolences to the families of the victims.

According to the Los Angeles Times, San Bernardino County public records reveal a person named Syed R. Farook was employed by the health department as an environmental health specialist. Staff members from that department had reportedly gathered Wednesday for a party where the shooting incident took place. It was not clear if the employee was the same man as the suspect linked to the shooting.

"We become a family when this happens. Unfortunately there is a history here; it doesn’t affect just one member. There’s a lot of sympathy and reaching out now, but that needs to be sustained," Rep. Lois Capps, (D-Santa Barbara), said while expressing regret over the tragedy in his congressional district.