[ cheers and applause ] thank you. this is a special edition of "nightline." >> tonight we're here in san bernardino, california. a community reeling in the wake of tragedy. as we come on the air we're learning more about the victims who lost their lives at a holiday party and those terrifying moments after the attackers stormed in. >> try to relax, everyone, try to relax. i'll take a bullet before you that's for damn sure. >> like a bomb went off. >> a survivor story. from the alleged killer's co-workers who was sitting at a table with him just minutes before, living through the unimaginable. the final dramatic moments for

kill. what sparked the rampage and were they radicalized? >> this special edition of "nightline," california shooting

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learning more about the young couple and their alleged rampage, their disturbing arsenal of pipe bombs and weaponry. what authorities found in their home and their bullet-ridden suv. we're also hearing from the first responders who stormed the scene. and loved ones of the lost whose lives are forever changed. >> to be honest, you guys, it was a little surreal. it was, you know -- you train for it and you know that your job is dealing in reality. but it seemed a little surreal. >> reporter: tonight lieutenant mike matt giving an emotional account of what it was like to be one of the first shooters to the shooting massacre in san bernardino yesterday. >> it was unspeakable, the carnage we were seeing, the number of people who were injured, and unfortunately already dead. and the pure panic on the face of those individuals that were still in need, needing to be safe. >> reporter: earlier today the county coroner released the names of the people who lost their lives at the hands of two

>> we have 14 people that are confirmed dead in this incident. the number of wounded has risen from 17 to 21. >> it's been kind of surreal. i'm still kind of coming to terms with it. >> reporter: ryan reyes learned the devastating news of his boyfriend's dead, daniel kofman, just today. >> as we were finding out more and more, no, none of these hospitals have him, that's when that hope just really dwindled. >> reporter: kofman, a job trainer at the inland regional center, was 42. >> the last thing i said to him was, i love you and i will text you after my doctor's appointment. because i was supposed to go to the doctor yesterday. >> reporter: michael raymond wetzel, father of six, also among the dead, spokes person for the family speak out today. >> they are very overwhelmed. there are six kids that have lost their father. the kids are just finding out today and they're trying to be really cautious. >> reporter: tonight we're

did this and the elaborate preparations that went into this massacre massacre. >> it was an event training in the morning, transitioning to a christmas party, lunch in the afternoon. >> reporter: 28-year-old american-born syed rizwan farook attended a holiday luncheon for the county health department where he was employed as a health inspector. he reportedly left the gathering angry and returned later with malik. >> it seems hard to believe all of this was spontaneous -- >> we said yesterday there appears to be a degree of planning that went into this. >> reporter: at 11:00 a.m., a couple entered the conference room wearing tactical vests and armed with rifles. >> need assist now, i have shots fired. >> we believe the suspects when they entered fired between 65 and 75 rounds. they sprayed the room with bullets. >> reporter: within four minutes a massive law enforcement response. >> i realized ed d as i was getting closer that i was one of the

when we entered there was fresh gun powed exert smell of gun powder in the air leading me to believe that there was, in fact -- there were, in fact, shooters still. >> reporter: matt and three others headed east toward the conference room where police say 70 to 80 people were present. >> it was immediately evident that the reports we were getting were 100% true. there were victim hot were clearly -- obviously deceased outside the conference room. >> reporter: later authorities discovered an explosive device, apparently intended to be triggered through a remote control. >> i need you to advise all of the units to move with caution. >> three pipe bombs combined into one that had a remote control, car-type remote control device that appears to have not worked in this case. >> reporter: this video shared with local radio station kpcc

tonight outpouring of support for the officer who said this -- >> try and relax, i'll take a bullet before you do, that's for damn sure. >> reporter: those evacuated searched one by one. the suspects had fled in a black suv. about four hours later, a tip leading police to this house five miles from the center. the pair takes off again in that black suv. leading police on a chase back towards the scene of the earlier rampage. >> they're shooting at us from the suv eastbound on rich ard son. responding units watch your crossfire. >> reporter: tashfeen malik, the fee fail suspect, firing out of the back at police. >> the male suspect got out and fired from off at officers as well. >> reporter: two officers injured, not critically. >> one of the officers came back and told us, get inside, active shooter. >> reporter: the suv cornered. >> holy [ bleep ]. >> reporter: terrorized residents.

guys, this is at my house right now. >> reporter: while police rained bullets down on the suv. >> damn this isn't kidding around. >> reporter: finally it was over. >> right now we have one down outside the car, one down inside the car. >> reporter: both suspects dead. police finding rifles, pistols, thousands of rounds of ammo in the car. >> on them on their person on their body, in the vehicle, they had over 1,400 .223-caliber rounds available to them. they had over 2009 millimeter rounds on their persons as well. >> reporter: at a home where farook reportedly lived more weapons. authorities found an arsenal of 12 pipe bombs along with a staggering ammunition stash. 2,000 9 millimeter rounds. 2,500 .223-caliber assault rifle rounds. several hundred .22 long rifle rounds. >> if you look at the amount of obvious very planning that went in the amount of right arm armaments he

here. >> reporter: the exact motive of the shooters is still unknown. authorities continue to search the home today for answers. >> yesterday a tragedy occurred in san bernardino. >> reporter: this massacre marking yet another instance of president obama speaking out america. >> going to have to i think search ourselves as society to step s steps that would make it harder -- not impossible but harder -- for individuals to get access to weapons. >> reporter: the san bernardino shooting is the 355th mass shooting this year according to mass shooting tracker group that counts shootings where four or more or injured or killed by gunfire, more shootings than days this year. reality sinking in for the families of those 14 killed. >> we know he's in a better place.

nicholas thalasinos, employee of the county of public health. >> i got a hug and kiss from him yesterday, that's what i'm holding on to. >> reporter: aurora godoy, shannon janson. >> right now we're just great to feel god that she's alive, knowing that she's okay, she's going to pull through, makes it a big sense of relief. >> reporter: for those who lost their loved ones there is no relief, only unrelenting heartache. >> i have no idea how i'm going to handle this. the world will is ufr from having one less person like him in it. that's what bothers me. is, you know, he is a ray of light to so many people. when we come back, we hear from the survivor who worked with, even shared a cubicle, with one of the alleged killers.

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edition of "nightline" from san bernardino. amidst the tragic loss there are remarkable stories of survival. patrick bacari shared a cubicle with one of the alleged shooters who he considered a friend. he was sitting next to syed farook at the holiday party yesterday. he told david muir everything seemed normal until he excused himself to go to the best restroom, then the blast of bullets. >> this was a guy you shared a kubel with for how long? >> about two years. >> you'd been sitting at the table with him? >> a very long table, he was at the op site end, i was at the other end. i think he came late so he positioned himself there. >> did you talk to him? >> just a national casual nod or whatever. they announced a 15-minute break. during that break i excused myself and got to the restroom. and there's like a bomb went off. i turned back and looked at the mirror. i'm bloody here, here, here.

>> you were at the paper towel dispenser? >> in the restroom, just pulled paper towels. pulled the towels, thought an explosion went out. i announced to the restroom we were under attack. got down on the floor, we put our feet against the door to inhibit anybody from entering. they're hearing gunfire take place. we're not feeling anything. i'm trying to contact my wife and tell her i love her. and that i'm okay. but we're under attack. the gentleman beside me, i asked him to call the police and he did. within minutes of us being there, i guess it was four or five minutes, they came and they attempted to open the restroom door but they couldn't move the door because we had the braced closed. >> with your feet? >> yeah. >> you were froze someone. >> we followed their directions. they took us across the -- that building to another building.

one of my co-workers was outside that restroom and she took two or three rounds. and so we could see the injuries on her. i could feel my little bit of bleeding. some pepper marks all over my body. and so we said, you know, we've got to get her to an ambulance. >> reporter: patrick, also a medic, helped many of his co-workers who were wounded. today at the hospital he saw one of them, a woman who was shot, who he helped survive. >> did she thank you? >> yes. she said, this is the man that rendered me aid. and that made me feel good. >> your friends who were at that table? >> yes, i had very good friends. a very good friend who lives down the street. he had been the sweetest, most dear, most appreciated employee i've met while i worked there. he -- he was just a jack of all trades. and a blessing to be and to know.

>> reporter: our thanks to david muir for that report. now we turn to the young couple alleged to have carried out the bloody attack. after sweeping their house police found an arsenal big enough to kill thousands. rifles, pipe bombs, a chilling assortment of ammunition. abc's chief investigative correspondent brian ross takes us inside the search for answers. >> reporter: the fbi tonight is now treating the investigation of syed farook and his pakistani-born wife tashfeen malik as a potential case of terrorism, although without saying that was the motive. >> it would be irresponsible and remature repremature to call this terrorism. the fbi defines terrorism very specifically. that is still the big question, what is the motivation for this. >> jimmy: >> reporter: today behind the doors of the young couple's san bernardino home, police say they found an arsenal of weapons that could have been used to kill thousands of people. >> clearly they were equipped and they could have continued to do another attack.

virtual bomb factory with 12 unexploded bombs. described as similar to this one featured in an al qaeda publication. one neighbor said another resident in the area became worried about what was going on in the garage. >> they had i guess -- receiving packages, quite a few packages in a short amount of time. and that they were actually doing a lot of work out in the garage. and she was kind of suspicious. >> reporter: but nobody called the police. also in the search, police found more than 6,100 unspent rounds or bullets found at the home. and in the getaway car. along with two high-powered assault rifles and two handguns. all purchased legally and quietly stockpiled by farook prior to the deadly assault on a holiday party for his fellow work frerls the county health department. >> he was there early on and he left. we did have some initial information that he left under some kind of duress or as if he

with his wife, dressed in tactical gear, and marched into the meeting room and opened fire. not aiming at anyone in particular. >> they sprayed the room with bullets so i don't know that there was any one person that they ultimately targeted. they killed 14 people there. >> reporter: the san bernardino police chief said it was clear to him that what happened was much more than simple workplace violence. >> nobody just gets upset at a party, goes home, puts together that kind of an elaborate scheme or plan to come back and do there was some planning that went into this. >> reporter: farook, upon in chicago, to all outward appearances lived a quiet life. he had worked five years at the county health department. one of his victims was fellow will has thalasinos, whose life said farook gave no signs anything was wrong. >> they all knew him. most of the victims, the victims

friends with the man that did this. and even though they knew he was muslim, they had no idea that he had become radicalized. i don't understand it. >> reporter: on muslim dating sites farook described himself as devout and looking for love, seeking a wife who would wear a hijab. he called himself a liberal interested in snowboarding, working on cars, and taking target practice in the backyard. at the san bernardino mosque he regularly attended the imam said tonight the community was shocked by what happened. shocked by what happened. >> the news of the shooting was shocking. unbelievable. unfathomable. left us all speechless. and it is an act that we condemn as muslims. >> reporter: as for farook's wife, she is also a mystery to authorities tonight. and it's not clear how they first met. >> we don't know enough. we do not know enough. >> reporter: she came to the u.s. with him in 2014 from saudi

fiance visa and this marriage certificate shows they married on august 16th, 2014, in riverside, california. when their daughter was born, just six months ago, they registered for baby gifts asking for pampers diapers and an infant car seat. yet on wednesday they left all that behind. as farook took the wheel of the suv, rented just a few days earlier. his wife sat in the back, firing dozens of rounds as the police closed in and ultimately killed them both. now the fbi is looking for connections between farook and at least two specific individuals here in the united states who may have been involved in the radicalization the attack. but bottom line the fbi says it is still too early to call this an act of terrorism. byron? >> thank you, brian. we'll be right back. >> this special edition of "nightline" is brought to you by geico.

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and i know she's going to fight for all of us. i'm hillary clinton, and i approve this message. go we take a moment to remember the lives lost to senseless violence. a community standing together in the face of grief. >> this poor girl said, are you amanda's mom? i said, yes, i am, what happened, what happened? she said, amanda's been shot. >> she just said that she was in a room, she locked herself up, there were shooters. >> she says, mommy, pray for my co-workers, i think some of them died. and i said, honey, we have the news on, and 14 of them died. >> the one thing we do know is

mass shootings in this country that has no parallel anywhere else in the world. >> this is a pretty resilient community. we will survive this. >> so it's just, you know, the rest of us that are left that have to deal with the aftermath. but i know that he's in a such better place now. >> when looking to make sense of loss and suffering, charles tinsley road an old hymn. we are tossed and driven on the restless sea of time but will understand it better by and by. thank you for watching abc news. "world news now" is coming up soon. tune into "good morning america" coverage. as always, we're online at abcnews. tom: now at 11:00, police in california have identified the 14 people killed in a shooting at a holiday party yesterday. don'

attack.