good morning. welcome to a special edition of "way too early." it is thursday, december 3rd. i'm craig melvin in san bernardino, california, the scene of the latest mass shooting in this country. this morning we are learning more about the two suspects, including reports of recent travel to the middle east. but we start, we start with the moment the holiday gathering among coworkers took a horrific turn. >> went behind that suspect vehicle, the black -- shots fired. >> they're shooting at us. the suv -- lots of cross fire. >> -- shooting at us. >> a deadly gun battle with

police in the wake of a massacre and manhunt, terrorizing san bernardino, california. this community sits some 60 miles east of los angeles. the first frantic calls came in just after 11:00 local time. 11:00 a.m. where the gunshots still tearing through the air. >> shots heard in the area of 1365 south waterman. male in black clothing. he's still firing rounds. >> we have at least 20 victims. >> be cautious of who is coming to you. make sure their hands are up. >> there at a social services center for the disabled, police say two shooters sprayed bullets into a conference center that was being used for a holiday party by the county health department. a witness told the "los angeles times" that the shooters ran out of bullets, reloaded, then fired again. when it was over, 14 people lay dead, at least 17 others were hurt. it is the deadliest massacre since the mass killing at an elementary school in newtown, connecticut, some three years

ago. the first since columbine to be carried out by multiple attackers. first responders raced to the scene as hundreds of people ran for their lives. others sheltered in place. >> there was a shooting. she's scared. she's hiding in the closet with two other people. >> they turned off the lights and tried to block the door and lock it. so that they couldn't get in if the shooters were around that area. >> officers went room to room hunting for the killers, and evacuating survivors. the shooters had fled, leaving behind at least one explosive device. hours passed with the community here on lockdown after police followed the lead to a nearby home. a street battle erupted just two miles away with police exchanging gunfire with a black suv matching the reported getaway car. an officer was hurt. that officer, though, is expected to survive this morning after the suspects hurled what officials feared might be homemade bombs.

>> an abundance of caution, the atf ordnance officer responded and determined that it was just a very thick pipe with a piece of cloth that was made to look like a fuse. but it did not contain any explosives. >> in the end, 28-year-old syed farook and his wife, 27-year-old tashfeen malik were both dead. right now, police believe they are the only two suspects. officials say farook attended the holiday party. at some point left angry. and then later returned to open fire. so far, again, at this point, no motive has been determined. we are awaiting another update from the san bernardino county sheriff's office that's slated roughly an hour from now, we're told. i'm joined now by my colleague richard lui here in san bernardino. let's talk about motive. at this point again, very early in the investigation, but what do we know about a possible motive? >> yeah, the san bernardino city

police chief was very clear throughout all of his briefings. the last one only within the last couple of hours here, craig, and he said, you know, we don't know. we're still looking at the possibility of this being terrorism related. he's saying he's not ruling that out. also, there's been the discussion, of course, of is this a workplace violence issue? those are the two potential ways that they're evaluating this current situation. but this is what he last said in his news briefing a couple hours ago. this is the chief. >> i think that based upon what we have seen, and based upon how they were equipped, there had to have been some degree of planning that went into this. so i don't think they just ran home, put on these types of tactical clothes, grabbed guns and came back on a spur of the moment thing. >> so, the chief was also clear to say this, craig, we just were able to clear the irc, which is right behind us. we're still looking at this

location. so in actuality he was clear to point out, we're really beginning our investigation at this hour. so this is a couple of hours ago that they were able to start to look at the pieces of evidence behind us. to be able to evaluate and understand motive. and then when it comes to the location within the last hour wee seeing robots going through the garage, looking and sniffing for evidence that might be key to what has happened. and then just finally, since you asked about motive, the question might be, when they were encountered in that suv it was three to four hours after the initial report. in three to four hours you can make it to the nevada border. in three to four hours you can make it to l.a.x. and be out of this state, craig. >> one of the other things presumably that they are going to continuto do over the course of the next few hours, talking to the survivors. talking to the eyewitnesses. did they say anything while they were unleashing the terror? richard lui, thank you so much as always. again we continue to learn more about these two assailants.

who opened fire during that holiday party. the suspects identified as 28-year-old syed farook, 27-year-old tashfeen malik. we know at this point they were a married upleco they had a 6-month-old daughter, relatives say. farook a u.s. citizen, had been employed as a county health inspector for at least five years. again he was at that holiday gathering yesterday. when he left abruptly, apparently angry about something. at this point we do not know what that was. according to police,e and his wife then returned with assault rifles. two assault rifles, two handguns and they opened fire on that celebration. a man who identified himself as farook's brother-in-law told reporters that he had no idea what may have motivated the attack. >> i just cannot express how sad i am for you know what happened today. i mean, condolences to the people who lost their life.

and sad that people lost their life, and there's victims. i wish speedy recovery to them and again, i am in shock. i have no idea, why would he do that? why would he do something like this? i have absolutely no idea. i am in shock myself. >> again, farook's brother-in-law there. at a news conference that was held here last night. i'm joined now by nbc news correspondent kerry sanders, also part of our coverage here. again, very early, still gathering lots of details about these two. but at this point, what more do we know about this 28-year-old gunman and his 27-year-old wife? >> well, we do know that the two of them actually started with a ruse. they actually had their child, 2-year-old child, that they decided to leave with farook's mother before they left saying that they were heading out. meanwhile, they had this attack all planned. now 28-year-old farook is born in illinois, but actually is of

pakistani parents. and recently traveled to saudi arabia where it's reported that he had met a woman online, gone to saudi arabia, and married her. we do also know that he had worked, as you mentioned, for the health department here for about five years. and those who knew him say that he was a relatively quiet person. somebody that they didn't really engage with too much. and that he did suggest to people, through his actions, that he was devoutly religious. that he was a muslim. but that he did not proselytize. he did not hold that over people, or talk about that too much. and finally, we know that he and the other woman here, the 27-year-old involved in the shooting, his wife, we don't know why. and that's what we're trying to figure out. is this workplace violence? is this as some have suggted, perhaps, incorrectly, because just of religion, that this was some sort of domestic terrorism?

questions that we'll answer later, perhaps today, but there's not as if there's a note left behind explaining what happened here. >> not yet at least. who knows. kerry sanders, thanks as always. yesterday's attack took place at what's called the inland regional center. it is a state-run facility, it provides services to people with developmental disabilities. but, specifically, the shooting took place in a conference area in the san bernardino county department of public health. they had rented this space out for a holiday party. it's i two-story building. you can see it there on the map. it's a two-story building where various community events are held. the vice president for inland regional center's board of trustees tells nbc news that the organization provides housing and provides work programs, as well as therapy and social services to more than 30,000 people with developmental disabilities. the facility's facebook page says it employs some 670 staff

members, and the secretary of the board of disability rights for northern california tells us that it is the largest of 21 nonprofit agencies that work with the state on assisting people with conditions like autism, like cerebral palsy, epilepsy, as well. she describes the center as a, quote, enormous complex with a budget of hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. inland regional's website, which was down for much of the day yesterday, says that its mission is to, quote, enhance the lives of people with developmental disabilities, and their families, by working to include them in the everyday routines and life rhythms of the community. but again, yesterday's attack took place in a conference area, a conference area where county health department police had gathered for an event. a holiday party, it seems, the associated press reporting that san bernardino county will close most of its offices for the rest of the week here.

so far, in 2015 in this country, there have been a reported 355 mass shootings. 355 in america. in fact, as "the new york times" points out, records show that mass shootings happen on average every day. and 209 out of the 336 days so far this year, at least one shooting left four or more people hurt or dead in the united states. that's according to a compilation of incidents derived from news reports. according to data from shootingtracker.com there has often been more than one mass shooting a day. using that same data, take a look at this. this is a map, showing the location of those 355 aforementioned mass shootings in the united states this year. yesterday's, yesterday's shooting here goes down as one of the deadliest mass shootings in american history.

since 1966, more than a dozen shootings have left 12 or more people dead in the united states at schools and elsewhere. among them, were the incidents at virginia tech in 2007, sandy hook elementary in 2012, in newtown, connecticut. mass shootings happen more frequently, probably, than a lot of folks realize. because often they do not make the national news. for instance another mass shooting took place just yesterday. this one in savannah, georgia. four people shot in the early morning hours there. one of the victims died. a suspect in that shooting has not been arrested. president obama repeated his call for increased gun control measures in the wake of yesterday's mass shooting. here he is speaking to cbs news just moments after he received word of the attack. take a listen. >> we have a pattern now of -- of mass shootings in this country that has no parallel anywhere else in the world. and there are some steps we

could take not to eliminate every one of these mass shootings, but to improve the odds that they don't happen as frequently. commonsense gun safety laws, stronger background checks, and, you know, for those who are concerned about terrorism, you know, some may be aware of the fact that we have a no-fly list where people can't get on planes, but those same people who we don't allow to fly could go into a store right now in the united states and buy a firearm and there's nothing that we can do to stop them. >> again, president obama there in a previously scheduled interview with norah o'donnell from cbs news. more reaction pouring in from all across the political spectrum in the hours after yesterday's shooting. including, from presidential candidates of both parties. leading democratic candidates hillary clinton and bernie sanders. each of them tweeting about stopping gun violence, while many of the leading republican

candidates sent out tweets, as well, mentioning their prayers. prayers for those affected. jeb sh, john kasich, governor of ohio, both tweeting that they were praying for the victims and the first responders. here are some similar sentiments shared by ted cruz and ben carson, as well. those messages and others like them have many calling for more than just prayer. here's the front page of the daily news. god isn't fixing this. the huffington post, here's a look at their home page right now. all these officials can seemingly do is rush to offer their useless thoughts and prayers. and democratic senator chris murphy of connecticut tweeting, your thoughts should be about steps to take to stop this carnage. your prayers should be for forgiveness if you do nothing. again. coming up, much, much more on the shooting here in san bernardino, including some

dramatic video of the moment police stormed the building where dozens were gunned down. this special edition of "way too early" continues on the other side of this break. so what's your news? i got a job! i'll be programming at ge. oh i got a job too, at zazzies. (friends gasp) the app where you put fruit hats on animals? i love that! guys, i'll be writing code that helps machines communicate. (interrupting) i just zazzied you. (phone vibrates) look at it! (friends giggle) i can do dogs, hamsters, guinea pigs... you name it.

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for all binge watchers. movie geeks. sports freaks. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. i don't know any individual who couldn't be shaken up by this. you know we hear of these mass shootings all over the country, and i think you all could agree that this just hit a little bit too close to home. it is home. so we're all shaken by this. we're all bothered by it. and i think we all should just go home tonight with our loved onesand just really just understand that this can happen any time. and we have to be prepared for it. >> a hospital spokesperson there on a tragedy that unfolded not too far behind me here in san bernardino yesterday. again, 14 people were killed.

17 more wounded. we should note at this point, we do not have a lot of information about the status of those 17. at this point we do not know how many are in critical condition, how many are in stable condition, and the like. the two suspects are dead, as well. we'd like to right now show you some new video from inside the inland regional center, as police swarmed in. the "los angeles times" reporting at first people inside actually thought the whole thing was just a drill. a nurse named dorothy even texted her husband as much. but quickly learned it was anything but. >> yeah, look. look -- >> they're all -- >> rifles and everything. >> no they're coming onto here. >> they're coming onto here. well they're running to --

>> they're coming over here? >> that's where they're headed to. i think so. they're all right here. >> again, that video from inside inland regional as it all went down. meanwhile a man in a nearby neighborhood recorded this video while seemingly crawling around on his stomach. this is just a small section of that video for you. and if you listen closely, you can hear the gun battle that goes on for more than a minute between police and the two suspects. [ gunshots ] [ gunshots ]

>> just amazing video again. this is from a guy who was crawling around on his stomach there as it was going down and shot that video on his cell phone. still ahead much, much more from here in san bernardino, plus a look at the morning's other top stories, as well, including a troubling new report on the u.s. secret service that details security breaches that we did not even know about. it's titled an agency in crisis. we'll be right back. (vo) at the friskies playhouse, the cats and us are always busy. thinking of new ways to make treat time fun. that's how we came up with new friskies pull 'n play. with tender string treats cats can eat. that part was their idea. lucy always thought strings should be edible. chloe thought the same. and charlie, well, he's up for anything as long it's fun. new friskies pull 'n play with tender strings.

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invest in your heart health, with kellogg's raisin bran. no crying today... before i begin, i just want to say that we are all thinking about the current and ongoing tragedy in california today. and i would like to have a brief moment of silence now for those who are affected. please keep the victims and their families in your prayers right now. >> house speaker paul ryan at last night's christmas tree lighting on capitol hill. holding a moment of silence for the victims of the massacre here in san bernardino, california. the scene of just, again, the latest mass shooting in this country. the death toll right now stands

at 14 this morning. terrorism has not been ruled out just yet. we're learning more about the suspects this morning. syed farook who apparently worked for the county, and a woman said to be his wife, tashfeen malik. he's 28, she was 27. we'll have much more on the investigation in a moment. but first a quick check on some of the other morning's other headlines. and we start with some breaking news overnight. a south african appeals court has convicted oscar pistorius of murder in the death of girlfriend reeva steenkamp. he was originally convicted of manslaughter. the double amputee olympian was sentenced to five years in prison but was released in october after less than a year and ordered to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest. pistorius now faces at least 15 years in prison. back here, a damning new report from the house oversight committee claims the u.s. secret service is in crisis. the report discloses several

security breaches and incidents of misconduct for the first time, including an agent who accessed a woman's personal information, and then traveled from new york to california to ask her on a date. we've also learned of a security breach at the biden's delaware home in 2013 when four people went fishing in their backyard and were only detected when neighbors alerted officials. lawmakers also released new information on the breach that allowed an armed security guard with an arrest record to ride an elevator with president obama during a visit to the cdc last december. the report states that the president's security was breached at least three times during that visit, and that the secret service failed to conduct background checks on the security guards. the chairman of the oversight committee says he's concerned for the president's safety. >> secret service is in crisis, the situation's getting worse, not better. i put this at the foot of the

president, and the secretary of homeland security. i think the president is in jeopardy. and i think he needs to personally get involved. i really do worry about his safety. i really do. >> the committee says there have been 143 security breaches over the last decade. and that a staffing shortage is putting the agency's mission in jeopardy. still ahead, the very latest on the massacre here at san bernardino. 14 people dead, 17 more injured. a short time ago we did get an update. several of those are in critical condition. again, the worst mass shooting since newtown. mika brzezinski continues our coverage after a short break. who wants to try? before earning enough cash back from bank of america to stir up the holidays, before earning 1% cash back everywhere, every time and 2% back at the grocery store, even before they got 3% back on gas, all with no hoops to jump through, daniel, vandi, and sarah decided to use

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