- Title: One year later, San Bernardino marks shooting that killed 14
- Date: 8th December 2016
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) RICK AXELROD, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF LIFESTREAM BLOOD BANK SAYING: “Welcome to our distinguished guests as we commemorate the events of December 2nd, 2015, and look toward the future as a resilient and united community." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) DON MEZA, DIRECTOR OF ADULT SERVICES AT THE INLAND REGIONAL CENTER (SITE OF SAN BERNARDINO ATTACK), SAYING "I was present on December 2nd at Inland Regional Center, but I am not here to speak of that day. I want to share with you about the outpouring support from this community. We have received countless letters, cards, banners and mementoes from people of San Bernardino expressing their support for us." PEOPLE LISTENING TO SPEAKER MOBILE BLOOD BANK (SOUNDBITE) (English) SAN BERNARDINO MAYOR R. CAREY DAVIS, SAYING: "I was certainly saddened that anyone would take upon themselves the destruction and the devastating commitment of such a crime especially at that particular time of the year. Somebody who would take hate and internalize it to such a degree that they felt that they were going to do something that would promote their agenda at the expense of so many innocent people. I was certainly saddened by that." POLICE OFFICERS WALKING VARIOUS OF BLOOD DONATION CENTER PEOPLE GIVING BLOOD CLOSEUP OF PERSON GRIPPING SOFT BALL WHILE GIVING BLOOD WIDE OF PEOPLE GIVING BLOOD (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAWN SLOBOM, PERSON GIVING BLOOD, SAYING: "So I'm thinking that a lot of people lost their lives so if I can donate blood it will help save somebody else's." INTERIOR OF BLOOD DONATION CENTER
- Embargoed: 23rd December 2016 20:21
- Keywords: Syed Rizwan Farook Tashfeen Malik San Bernardino shooting anniversary blood drive Inland Regional Center
- Location: SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- City: SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA0025C5ZJ2F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Residents and people who work in the Southern California town of San Bernardino marked the one-year anniversary of a mass shooting by Islamic militants that left 14 people dead in the town with a day-long series of events.
San Bernardino was the scene of one of the deadliest acts of violence by militants in the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks. The city has just over 200,000 residents and is less than 60 miles (100 km) east of Los Angeles.
A year ago, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29, opened fire at the Inland Regional Center during a holiday party and training session for San Bernardino County employees, who were Farook's co-workers, wounding 22 people in addition to the 14 killed. Don Meza, who works at the center, was hoping to put thoughts of the tragic day behind him. "I was present on December 2nd at Inland Regional Center, but I am not here to speak of that day. I want to share with you about the outpouring support from this community. We have received countless letters, cards, banners and mementoes from people of San Bernardino expressing their support for us."
In a ceremony on Friday (December 2) at a blood bank, residents came in to donate blood as a symbol of community strength.
Among the blood donors was Dawn Slobom.
"So I'm thinking that a lot of people lost their lives so if I can donate blood it will help save somebody else's." Authorities have said that U.S.-born Farook and Malik, a native of Pakistan, were inspired by Islamic extremism. The couple died in a shootout with police four hours after the massacre.
In the evening, another San Bernardino event was expected to draw at least 2,000 participants to an arena.
FBI investigators are still seeking to answer key questions, such as the location of the married couple's computer hard drive and whether anyone helped them. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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