Breaking: The Carnage In California

Many of you by now have heard about the horrific attack on the Regional Center in San Bernadino California, a medium sized city located in what locals call the Inland Empire.

Here’s what we know for sure so far, And I’ll try and fill in a few blanks.

Three gunmen walked into the facility with body armor, ski masks and AK-47′s. The AKs were, according to a couple of reports I heard fully automatic. There was also an IED – let’s make that a suspected IED – exploded by robot. At least 14 people are dead and a number wounded.

For those of you whom don’t know a Regional Center is a very soft target,even softer than many schools. It’s a county facility that specializes in aid and counseling for people with developmental and psychiatric challenges…people with Asperger’s, autism, Down’s Syndrome and various mental disabilities. They’re not places where you’re going to find much real security, although it’s extremely likely there are lots of security cameras.

The three gunmen simply walked in and started firing away, and as one spokesman for the local Sheriff’s department said, they came well prepared for what they came to do. The attack was well-planned, and the three men reportedly escaped in a black GMC Yukon SUV.

Of course, no one is mentioning the possibility of Islamist terrorism.None of the reporters, newcasters or police dare mention the term. This could very well be because  with cameras everywhere and the surviving eyewitnesses they interviewed, the appearance or actions of the killers may have given  the police information at this point about who was responsible.

So let’s revue. Robbery obviously wasn’t a motive, and neither was it a ‘lone wolf’ killing spree. This was three men executing a planned operation. And the IED is also an interesting indication of whom was responsible

The guns, if they were fully automatic would have to either have been smuggled in or altered by one of the killers. Altering an AK like that is a skilled job, so my guess is that the AKs were smuggled in, perhaps with the ammo to avoid raising suspicion with a large purchase at a legitimate gun shop.

UPDATES: Some sources are reporting that  a man described as ‘Middle Eastern’ named Farook Syed was in the building and left 20 minutes  before the shooting and that his demeanor was ‘nervous.’

He’s now wanted by SBPD as a person of interest. We’ll see what develops.