Syed Rizwan Farook and the 2015 San Bernardino Massacre
Background
Syed Rizwan Farook was one of two perpetrators responsible for the December 2, 2015, terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California. Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, attacked a gathering of his coworkers at the Inland Regional Center, killing 14 people and seriously wounding 22 others. The massacre combined a workplace mass shooting with an unsuccessful bombing attempt and ended several hours later when both attackers were killed during a gun battle with police.
Farook was born on June 14, 1987, in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in Southern California. He was an American citizen of Pakistani descent and attended La Sierra High School before earning a degree in environmental health from California State University, San Bernardino. He later became an environmental health specialist for the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health. His work included inspecting restaurants, swimming pools and other public facilities for compliance with health regulations.
Farook traveled to Saudi Arabia in 2014 and returned to the United States with Malik, whom he had met through an online matrimonial service. Malik was born in Pakistan and had spent part of her life in Saudi Arabia. The couple married and settled in Redlands, California. They had a daughter in 2015 and appeared outwardly to maintain a conventional family life.
Radicalization and Preparations
The FBI later concluded that Farook and Malik had privately embraced violent extremist beliefs before the attack. Investigators described them as homegrown violent extremists who were inspired by foreign terrorist organizations but were not directly ordered to carry out the massacre by any particular group. Evidence indicated that they had discussed jihad, martyrdom and violent ideology in private electronic communications.
Farook had previously been associated with Enrique Marquez Jr., a friend and former neighbor who purchased two of the rifles later used in the San Bernardino attack. Farook and Marquez had also discussed and planned attacks in 2011 and 2012, including a proposed assault on Riverside City College and an attack on a busy section of California State Route 91. Those plans were abandoned and were never carried out.
Before December 2, 2015, Farook and Malik accumulated firearms, ammunition, tactical equipment and materials that could be used to construct explosive devices. Their Redlands residence contained thousands of rounds of ammunition, firearm accessories and pipe-bomb components. The extensive preparations demonstrated that the massacre was not a spontaneous reaction to a disagreement at work.
The Inland Regional Center Gathering
On the morning of December 2, 2015, employees of the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health attended a training session and holiday gathering in a rented conference room at the Inland Regional Center. The facility, located at 1365 South Waterman Avenue in San Bernardino, provides services to people with developmental disabilities. The conference room contained dozens of county employees, many of whom knew Farook through their work.
Farook attended part of the gathering and was seen among his coworkers earlier that morning. He left before the shooting began. At approximately 10:58 a.m., Farook and Malik returned to the property wearing dark clothing, masks and tactical-style equipment. They carried two semiautomatic rifles and two semiautomatic pistols, along with numerous loaded magazines.
The December 2, 2015, Attack
Farook and Malik began firing outside the building before entering the conference area. They directed sustained gunfire at the county employees assembled inside. More than 100 rounds were fired during the brief attack. Victims attempted to escape through doors, hide beneath tables or shelter in bathrooms, offices, closets and other parts of the building.
The shooting lasted only a few minutes, but it caused devastating casualties. Fourteen people were killed, and 22 others suffered serious physical injuries. Additional survivors experienced lasting psychological trauma. Thirteen of the people killed were San Bernardino County employees. Many worked as environmental health specialists alongside Farook.
A bullet struck a sprinkler pipe during the attack, releasing water into the conference room and further complicating the efforts of survivors and emergency personnel. Police officers, firefighters and medical teams entered the complex while uncertain whether additional shooters or explosive devices remained inside.
Farook and Malik left behind a bag containing three interconnected pipe bombs and a remote-control device. The explosives were intended to detonate inside the building, potentially killing survivors and emergency responders, but the device failed to explode.
Victims Killed at the Inland Regional Center
- Robert Adams, 40 — Killed on December 2, 2015, at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California. Adams was an environmental health specialist for San Bernardino County.
- Isaac Amanios, 60 — Killed on December 2, 2015, at the Inland Regional Center. Amanios worked as an environmental health specialist and had come to the United States from Eritrea.
- Bennetta Betbadal, 46 — Shot at the Inland Regional Center and pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby emergency triage area. She was a county environmental health specialist and had fled religious persecution in Iran as a child.
- Harry Bowman, 46 — Killed on December 2, 2015, at the Inland Regional Center. Bowman was an environmental health specialist for the county.
- Sierra Clayborn, 27 — Killed on December 2, 2015, at the Inland Regional Center. Clayborn worked as an environmental health specialist and was among the youngest victims.
- Juan Espinoza, 50 — Killed on December 2, 2015, at the Inland Regional Center. Espinoza was a San Bernardino County environmental health specialist.
- Aurora Godoy, 26 — Killed on December 2, 2015, at the Inland Regional Center. Godoy was the youngest person killed in the massacre and worked for the county health department.
- Shannon Johnson, 45 — Shot while attending the gathering and later pronounced dead at an emergency triage area near the Inland Regional Center. During the attack, Johnson protected a coworker and reportedly told her that he would shield her from the gunfire.
- Larry Daniel Kaufman, 42 — Killed on December 2, 2015, while working at the Inland Regional Center. Kaufman was employed by the facility rather than by the county health department.
- Damian Meins, 58 — Killed on December 2, 2015, at the Inland Regional Center. Meins was a county employee who had also worked in education and community service.
- Tin Nguyen, 31 — Killed on December 2, 2015, at the Inland Regional Center. Nguyen was an environmental health specialist whose family had come to the United States from Vietnam.
- Nicholas Thalasinos, 52 — Killed on December 2, 2015, at the Inland Regional Center. Thalasinos was an environmental health specialist and one of Farook’s coworkers.
- Yvette Velasco, 27 — Killed on December 2, 2015, at the Inland Regional Center. Velasco worked as an environmental health specialist for San Bernardino County.
- Michael Wetzel, 37 — Killed on December 2, 2015, at the Inland Regional Center. Wetzel was a county environmental health specialist and the father of six children.
Escape and Identification of the Attackers
After leaving the Inland Regional Center, Farook and Malik escaped in a rented black Ford Expedition. Investigators quickly focused on Farook after witnesses identified him as a county employee who had attended the gathering and left before the shooting. Police searched the couple’s townhouse on North Center Street in Redlands and observed a vehicle matching the description of the attackers’ SUV.
When the SUV left the neighborhood, officers followed it toward San Bernardino. Farook and Malik realized that they were being followed and accelerated away, beginning a pursuit through city streets. The vehicle eventually stopped near San Bernardino Avenue and Richardson Street, several miles from the Inland Regional Center.
Final Shootout with Police
At approximately 3:08 p.m., Farook and Malik opened fire on pursuing officers from the SUV. Farook left the vehicle and continued shooting at police while using nearby objects for cover. Officers returned fire during an intense confrontation that lasted several minutes.
Farook was struck repeatedly and fell near the vehicle. He continued attempting to fire a handgun while wounded before officers shot him again. Malik remained near or inside the SUV and continued firing at police. Officers eventually killed her as well. The confrontation ended at approximately 3:14 p.m.
Two law-enforcement officers were injured during the gun battle. Authorities approached the SUV cautiously because they feared that it might contain additional explosives. Armored vehicles and specialized equipment were used to examine the scene before officers could safely recover the attackers’ bodies and weapons.
Farook was 28 years old when he died on December 2, 2015. Malik was 29. Their infant daughter had been left with Farook’s mother before the attack.
Weapons and Explosive Devices
The attackers used two AR-15-style semiautomatic rifles and two 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistols. The rifles had been purchased by Enrique Marquez Jr. and later transferred to Farook. Investigators determined that the weapons had been altered in ways that allowed them to accept detachable magazines more easily.
Farook and Malik carried numerous magazines and had hundreds of rounds available during the attack and final confrontation. Thousands of additional rounds were discovered at their Redlands home. Authorities also recovered pipe bombs, bomb-making tools and other explosive materials from the residence.
The explosive device left at the Inland Regional Center consisted of three pipe bombs placed inside a bag. It was connected to a remote-controlled triggering system but did not detonate. Investigators examined whether the device had malfunctioned or whether the remote signal had failed.
Federal Investigation
The FBI assumed leadership of the investigation and officially treated the massacre as an act of terrorism. Agents conducted hundreds of interviews, served numerous search warrants and recovered hundreds of pieces of evidence. Investigators examined the attackers’ computers, telephones, online communications, financial records, travel history and personal relationships.
Some electronic devices belonging to Farook and Malik had been damaged or destroyed before the attack. Investigators recovered crushed mobile telephones from a trash container near the couple’s residence. The destruction of potential evidence suggested that they had attempted to conceal parts of their planning and communications.
The FBI found no evidence that Farook and Malik were members of a formally organized terrorist cell or that a foreign organization had directed the attack. Investigators concluded that they had been inspired by extremist propaganda and had radicalized privately over a period of years. Malik reportedly used an online account to pledge allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State around the time of the massacre, but the organization did not exercise operational control over the couple.
Enrique Marquez Jr.
Enrique Marquez Jr. became a central figure in the investigation because he had purchased the two rifles used by Farook and Malik. Marquez admitted that he and Farook had previously planned terrorist attacks in Southern California but abandoned the plans in 2012. He also admitted entering into a fraudulent marriage with a member of Farook’s extended family.
Marquez was not accused of participating in the December 2 massacre or knowing that Farook intended to use the rifles in that attack. He later pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and making false statements regarding the firearms. His prosecution revealed important details about Farook’s extremist beliefs and earlier plans for violence.
Destruction of Evidence by Farook’s Mother
Farook’s mother, Rafia Sultana Shareef, was later prosecuted for destroying evidence related to the attack. Prosecutors said she shredded a map that Farook had prepared in connection with the assault. In March 2020, she pleaded guilty to destroying evidence and was later sentenced to home confinement and probation.
Aftermath
The San Bernardino massacre was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the United States since September 11, 2001, and one of the country’s deadliest mass shootings at the time. The attack devastated San Bernardino County’s public health department, which lost numerous experienced employees in a matter of minutes.
Memorial services and vigils were held throughout Southern California. Thousands of people attended a public memorial for the victims at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario on January 4, 2016. Families, coworkers and community members remembered the victims for their public service, personal courage and devotion to their loved ones.
The massacre also produced debates concerning domestic radicalization, workplace security, firearm access, encrypted electronic devices and the ability of law-enforcement agencies to identify individuals preparing acts of terrorism. A legal dispute arose when the FBI sought assistance in accessing an encrypted iPhone used by Farook. The government later obtained access through a third party and withdrew its court action against the phone’s manufacturer.
Although Farook and Malik were killed before they could be questioned, the evidence recovered from their home, vehicle and electronic accounts showed that the massacre had been deliberately prepared. Their attack transformed a routine county training session and holiday gathering into a scene of mass murder, leaving 14 families without their loved ones and a community permanently marked by the violence of December 2, 2015.
