are they lucky enough to find a license plate? did they get a close-up view of any of these people? so those are the critical things, lester. >> all right, pete. as sarn bernardino. you're watching nbc news live coverage of the shooting in san bernardino. some stations return to regular programming, for owes nbc news coverage begins now. >> we welcome stations along the way as we continue our coverage of this ongoing breaking story. 14 dead, 14 injured as of an hour ago. the latest numbers from san bern de dino police after gunmen burst into a developmental disability center in san bernardino and opened fire in a central part of that building. many, many people of the several hundred that work there were safely evacuateded. but again 14 killed, up to 14 injured. we are told those numbers are fluid. we expect an update shortly.

>> reporter: we're seeing some buses come out right now. looks like city buses coming our way, presumably with evacuees on them getting them out of this area. they are being escorted by police cars here. we had some city buses as well as school buses behind it. brought in to help remove people. there were hundreds of people inl side that building at the time the shooting occurred and the focus for law enforcement right now is finding the shooters. they are working on the assumption that three shooters got away in a black suv. of course that was almost four hours ago now and they could be anywhere at this point. we are waiting for another update from law enforcement from the police chief and you can

see -- count 1, two, three, four, five -- six school buses. and inside we can see the buses are pretty full with evaccees. that was empty. ones before it did have people on it. a lot of law enforcement out here right now working the scene. they told us their first goal was to make sure that the area behind me that regional center was secure and that they got all of those innocent people out of there. now they are focusing on finding the shooters. the airspace around san bernardino has been closed off for about two miles as a precaution. they've also put buildings around this facility on lockdown and city and county buildings are on lockdown, not knowing where those shooters may go next, if they have other targets. schools were also on lockdown. the san bernardino county school district has confirmed that all of their students are safe. police tell us at the hospitals where victims have taken they have set up extra police patrols to make sure that those

hospitals stay secure. >> i realize you're penned in near that overpass but were you able to get a sense -- is it a residential community anywhere near where this happened? i'm curious what people are being told to do who are at home in this area. >> reporter: basically by looking at google maps from above -- because we haven't been allowed in the area -- there is a regional certainty, a few businesses around it, a golf course across the street where a lot of people were initially evacuated to, to get them to a clear area, to safety. on the other side of the regional center is homes and neighborhoods. keep in mind, we're three hours earlier from your time on east coast so it was the middle of the day when those shootings happened. >> blake, thanks very much. clint van zandt, a former fbi profiler. we keep focusing on the fact that there could be up to three shooters which puzzles everyone. what about the possibility of a family connection between the

shooters? that something that crossed your mind? >> there's got to be something like that, lester. we've talked earlier about proverbial lone white male who commits acts like this. . of course it is not limited to any specific racial group, but in this particular case we don't normally see multiple individuals involved in a mass murder like this. and if there is, if there is in fact more than one shooter, what we're going to find likely, lester, is that there is going to be one individual that is the leader. he may be the one who is aggrieved by some particular group or some particular individual. well, okay, we can say, as terrible as that is, we understand that because we've seen it so many times in this country. but how is that person get two other people to join with him? usually it takes some type of relationship, some type of -- just talking to chuck todd -- some type of emotional glue that

would allow two or three individuals to be so bonded that they would go out together to commit this terrible act of mass murder. but that's also going to help law enforcement identify them. hopefully someone within the shooting scene heard something, saw something, recognized something, and coupled with, as peat williams talked about, photographs from the outside, pictures, investigations, will identify that primary person and very quickly, just like the rings on a bull's-eye target, will identify that center person, then move out quickly to the second and perhaps third shooter. >> i noted in the news conference an hour ago they were quick to put out a phone number to call if you had information, a couple of phone numbers, which leads me to that question -- are they hoping that if somebody's watching this right now is going, oh, my goodness, i heard someone talking about it, i heard something and it is adding

up and that kind of tip? >> absolutely. we know we look at social media to find individuals who have written on it. but to commit an act like this, someone had to talk, someone who to say how angry, how upset, how aggrieved he was. that someone may be the same person who owns a black suv that we've been told that law enforcement is looking at. that same person may have two other individuals that are bonded with him that would do something like this. so there's somebody sit something out there amongst 315 million americans who says, you know what? i know somebody like that. i heard the guy say something. i saw him drive a vehicle like that. i know he bought some imammunition imaammunition recently. somebody knows something that can break this wide open. it's like a beach. a beach has got millions of

grains of sand, but for law enforcement, it takes out one grain, it that's that one phone call where someone calls in and says, i really ought to share that information and hopefully we can find this one, two, or three shooters and get them off the street before they commit another similar act. >> you're the profiler. how often have you seen what's otherwise described as a well planned operation in which they made critical operational security mistakes? >> we've seen individuals, we've seen brothers and close friends bond together in burglary, gangs, robbery gangs. but this is a quantum leap to commit an act of mass murder. and should we be able to develop a single fingerprint from one of the dozens of spent rounds that are likely laying on the floor, or should we give one snapshot of a license plate, there is so much of and investigative opportunity to solve this terrible crime, it's hard to imagine that we don't.

our challenge, lester, is not that we can't eventually solve a crime like this. our challenge is that we don't seem to be able to stop it before it takes place. >> i take it that those closest to the shooter right now, assuming they're not being treated for are serious wounds, are being questioned by authorities. >> well, they would be, very much so, if everyone who has seen this take place, heard something, can make any type of comment as to height, weight, the type of language that was used, was it profanity? was it targeted against one situation? every person, as you watched earlier, when they were being marched out of that building with their hands in the air, which is common practice, every person in that building will be interviewed by, did they see something at the time of the shooting? did they see it earlier today? have they seen anybody this week who may have been surveilling,

lig loitering around the building trying to find ways to get in and out. we've got hundreds of cops, fbi, atf agents out there. we need to use them by the public coming forward with information. >> i don't want to do a how-to for this kind of terror or criminal act, but when you look at the layout of this facility, a few buildings and a large parking lot, did anything stand out as to why that would be an attractive target? >> jim cavanaugh made the statement earlier -- and i agree 100% -- that if it's a terrorist, if you want to get a lot of publicity, unfortunately, between thanksgiving and christmas, you go to shopping malls, something like that, where all of us say that could be me, that could have been me. this seems to be specifically targeted to a building, to a

room, to a group of people, maybe even to one or two people within that group. that's what law enforcement has to find out. is this some terrible, random act where they drove up in front of a random building and went in and started killing people they knew nothing about? or was it specifically targeted? and again, what can that emotional glue that would that allow three individuals together to agree to commit a terrible act like this. we see international terrorists do it in the name of religion or some other reason. why would three -- and we don't know. it could be international terrorism. but if it's not, how could three rank and file individuals come together and commit an act like this and why? >> these are more an academic questions because a lot of people in southern california want to know right now if this danger is continuing. we are expecting to hear from police ahead. they said there would be hourly updates. obviously they have more

important things to do right now than update us but we would hope to hear from them shortly. i also want to let you know there will be a special one-hour edition of "nbc nightly news" starting on the east coast in about 20 minutes from now. we'll have full coverage of everything that's happened there today as well as the rest of the news. but if you were just joining us and settling in front of a tv, let's bring you up to date. at least 14 dead, at least 14 injured in a gun attack at the inland regional center, a developmental disability center. that involves state and county employees, as well as some other agencies that work within that particular area. let's listen in now to knbc's coverage. >> the emergency room of course continues to operate. this is where seven of the patients are being treated. we'll bring you more -- >> patrick, we're going to go up to news chopper 4. is this a suspect that we think we have here? >> yes. we understand that these are the

suspects. there's been shots fired, multiple shots fired at this intersection. this is san bernardino avenue at -- just north of the 10 freeway here. really close to the scene. in fact, it is only a couple miles away from the scene. you can see officers scrambling around here, multiple shots fired. if i can quickly talk to our -- my isp is breaking up pretty bad. they have the suspect pinned down. we understand one suspect has been hit by gunfire but there are multiple shots being fired as well. again this is just north of the 10 freeway along san bernardino avenue. i am listening to the police right now. >> this is live coverage on knbc in los angeles. >> i can tell you they are sending additional units here. we're going to take a look at this vehicle right here. left turn. >> just to clarify, is it one spect? is that all we're hearing right now is one suspect who's been shot? >> we heard that one suspect was

down but there is other suspects still actively shooting at the officers here. they do have the car surrounded. we aren't sure if that's the vehicle, we are just getting on scene. looks like they are all pointing at this vehicle, a sedan, looks like it is four-door. trying to get a better shot for you as we come around. >> gil, as you are getting the shot there, let us ask you a few questions about this. was this a chase? how did they find out about them? what do you mow? >> yes. just in the last couple minutes they went into pursuit of this vehicle. now they said that there were shots fired during the pursuit, then it ended right here at this intersection. but again, it is a very chaotic scene. i can hear officers talking about it on the frequency and they are trying to talk to the suspect in the vehicle to surrender. we understand that one is shot, two still inside the vehicle at this point but multiple shots fired at officers during this chase. >> you said the gunfire is still ongoing right now.

any reports of any officers who have been hit? >> reporter: there was a report that there might be one officer hit. we don't know condition of that officer at this point. but again, this is going to be just north of the 10 freeway. i'm going to zoom out and show you the intersection here and how many officers are involved here. let me talk to my pilot real quick here. >> this is lester holt in new york. you're watching knbc's live coverage. if you're just joining us, it looks like they have cornered the suspect in the san bernardino shooting. we are hearing reports of shots fired. we'll let them continue their coverage and bring you up to date. >> are we in the middle of a residential area here? >> reporter: this is a commercial area actually.

no residents that we can see at this point. but very commercial in this area. in fact, this is directly south of the san bernardino international airport. again, they are sending in the s.w.a.t. team right now to try to get these people to surrender. but we believe that this is the vehicle right here. we're hearing that -- hearing officers asking if there is any suspects that are outstanding, that may be left running away from the scene. but at this point they're saying no. they believe that the suspects are within that vehicle right there. >> hey, gil, jumping in just for a second, tony shin is getting reports that two suspects are down. of course all of this unfolding before our very eyes. preliminary reports are watching this. gil, let me just ask you this as we watch it. can you tell us which law enforcement agencies are engaged right now? is this -- >> this is live coverage from knbc in los angeles. you've been following the shooting, 14 dead, 14 injured at

a facility in san bernardino not far from there. they have apparently -- police have apparently cornered suspects. shots have been fired. perhaps two suspects down, a third perhaps exchanging gunfire with police at this intersection not far from the scene of today's shootings. we'll go back and listen to knbc's coverage. >> referee: chp and san bernardino pd involved. >> gil, do we have the ability to bring in tony shin? he's at the command post, may know a little bit more? ton tony, what do you have? >> reporter: in the past ten minutes there's been a flurry of activity. we have seen police car after police car, also s.w.a.t. vehicles. i'm talking about the big armored ones going code -- which means lights and sirens on, blazing down waterman avenue, heading south, i brpresume on t the freeway where gil is right

now. this is all scanner traffic. we hear police officers talking. norm will i we don't give out this information but what they're talking about sounds like this is exactly what they're dealing with. we are hearing that there is one suspect down inside the vehicle. one suspect possibly down outside the vehicle and another suspect on the run. this is what they're dealing with on police scanners where the police officers are actually talking to each other trying to get into a situation so everybody knows what the possibilities are. rapid fire shots. they're talking about rapid fire shots. which goes along with what happened here with witnesses that we talked to who say that they saw three armed men with armor, with masks, with long guns, possibly assault rifles. we don't know. but we do know they were long rifles of some sort and there was a flurry of shots being fired that were heard from witnesses that we talked to who thought there was a gun range back here in the river bed. . but there wasn't.

it was that tragedy happening inside that building that you probably can't see from our vantage point right now because it is so far away. we are being kept far away from there, the reason being, it is an enormous crime scene. >> hang on a second, tony. we are looking -- a pick-up truck -- brown pick-up truck just drove right through the middle of this, turned the corner and kept going. it was the most incredulous thing i think i've ever seen. turned between suspect vehicle and the two black and whites on the corner there. >> reporter: it is absolutely amazing. anyone who would come out and commit this type of atrocity, you just don't know what they're going to do. people who do these kind of mass shootings are unimaginable, horrible human beings. we don't know what their motive is. we don't know why they would target innocent people at this center. right now it sounds like they're on the run. hopefully police are going to be able to get them all cornered so that way we can end this.

>> tony, right now our news chopper 4 was following that vehicle. i think one of these armored vehicles that tony was talking about, the heavily armored s.w.a.t. vehicles, ran through one scene but we're getting reports that there are multiple scenes and the black or dark colored suv at one location at well. again, one to two suspects down right now. all of this matching up -- we've heard reports of the rapid gunfire. all what the people at the center heard, that these men came prepared on a mission. again this looks to be the beginning of the end here as news chopper 4 closes in on some of these s.w.a.t. vehicles. you can see members of the s.w.a.t. team, police officers almost appearing to use the vehicle as a shield. now it's moving forward. again, bear with us as this is an extremely fluid situation. we're actually watching it from different angle tz in the studio here and bringing these pictures to you live. >> those are definitely s.w.a.t. vehicles as we see them roll

down and what we're looking for here is a black suv. we heard described as a yukon. i think more appropriately the most recent report i had, there it is right there -- i think it might be an expedition. it is in the middle of the road there and there may be one, possibly two suspects down in there suv. again the s.w.a.t. rolling up in force here. you see one law enforcement off to the right-hand side of your screen. >> right now you see the s.w.a.t. vehicles getting in position right now. the original area we were looking at was san bernardino avenue north of the 10 freeway. we're being told this is in fact the suv right now that has been shot out. >> you see bullet holes through the windshield here. all the windows are grgone in t back. there you see the wipers going up and down. there's definitely been a shoot-out -- >> are we going to bring gil

back to us from news chopper 4? maybe there's something he can see or hear or he's closed in on this area. this -- the original area was san bernardino avenue north of the 10 was more of a commercial area. this appears to be a little bit more residential. so obviously an incredible amount of danger if there is a gun battle where there are homes, where there are people right now it just seems to be some kind of standoff situation. you see officers gathering behind those armored s.w.a.t. vehicles. they are not closing in on that black suv at this point. again, we are hearing reports of rapid fire shots fired, so this could still be under way. unfortunately, we don't have the audio of what's happening so we're kind of judging this based on the picture. is there any way we can bring back gil in news chopper 4? >> no. but you know, i just got an

e-mail from the hernandez center where families are waiting for loved ones. the mayor is there as well. they are being told to shelter in place. let's go out to that news conference and listen in. >> the number of fatalities has remained at 14. we have a telephone number that we would like to provide for people that want to be united with their families that was possibly at the regional -- inland region and center today. that telephone number is 800-637-6653. we are asking that anybody that has family that was at this facility call this telephone number first and the person will advise you where you need to go in order to that you can to somebody to get reunited with family. >> we've been listening to sound from the command post. right now it appears everything is happening in this one location in san bernardino.

san bernadino avenue. this is where they appear to have cornered suspects here. there's been some sort of gun battle. we're focused right now on the s.w.a.t. teams and officers who rolled up on scene. but -- there you see, they're starting to move but there's also an suv, a black suv, windows blown out, what appears to be gunfire, bullet holes in the windshield there. we understand one, perhaps two suspects are down. >> we're also getting reports that an officer may have been injured as well but we are hearing as well that that officer is okay. again, a fluid situation right now. this is, we believe, that black suv in question, the same suv that witnesses in the initial shooting reported fleeing the scene with one to three suspects armed with long guns. we know that there was a rapid fire shoot-out taking place. perhaps may still be under way because it is difficult for us to see exactly what's happening. we just know the s.w.a.t. team has stayed away from the

vehicle, they haven't closed in yet. one to two suspects shot dead. now it looks like one of those vehicles is closing in. >> >> were any officers hit in the exchange of gunfire between the suspects and the officers? >> i cannot confirm that. i know that all officers are okay. >> there are a couple things happening right now. we've got the press conference happening at the s.w.a.t. team's closing in so we'll go back and forth between these two pictures. if there is any way we can get them both up simultaneously or get back up to news chopper 4. what we're seeing right now, two s.w.a.t. team vehicles book-ending that black suv, nose-to-tail right now from news chopper 4. we're trying to bring that picture back. again, bear with us. these two events are unfolding live right now. but here is that picture. there you can see the s.w.a.t. vehicles -- >>lester holt.

this is continuing nbc coverage with an apparent standoff from that san bernadino shooting that killed 14 and injured 14 others. police and s.w.a.t. that have suv cornered, broken windows suggest an exchange of gunfire has taken place. pete williams, what are you hearing? >> reporter: we've been told by two law enforcement officials that one suspect is in custody and that two have been shot and 1 of the 2 that's been shot is believed to be dead. now obviously these are the first reports from the scene but we've heard these -- we've heard this from both local and federal officials that that is the unfolding situation here. we can't say it with 100% certainty, but it does appear to be over. >> our thanks to our colleagues at knbc in los angeles providing this aerial picture now of this standoff or what may be the end

of this part of the drama. s.w.a.t. armored vehicles have now pinned in that suv that they were searching for almost immediately after the shooting today in san bernadino. three suspects in all is what they were looking for. police have not emerged from behind those vehicles just yet. obviously wanting to make sure that there is no further threat there. as this scene was playing out, we are hearing a briefing from police back near the scene of today's tragedy, saying that the number of dead remains at 14. 14 people are injured. and she had no word on any police officers being injured. but the s.w.a.t. team is now being very careful, very methodical as we watch this play out live. they seem to be actually pointing their guns away now, as one of them -- as they begin to pull back. they seem to be pulling back now from this suv. obviously not close enough to

observe what is happening. perhaps you can see perhaps from this distance the back window of the suv appears to be blown out, presumably from gunfire. we see that there is a residential neighborhood here in this area where this perhaps the final leg of this day is playing out. four and a half hours ago police got word of shots breaking out at a developmental services complex. they arrested as many people as they could and carried the injured away but again 14 people died, 14 others injured. miguel almaguer, you are nearig. what are you hearing? >> reporter: lester, it is still very busy from the crime scene. that live picture over the crime scene from knbc is just a few miles away and it is still very active. i heard the public information officer tell us that it looks

like one person has been engaged in a gun the battle and that person may be dead. saying they were looking for a suspect in a dark suv. that is the suspect who was in that shoot-out with police so certainly a very active crime scene here. police also told us originally they were looking for three suspects and the officer telling us a short time ago at that press conference that only one suspect was ebb gaungaged with police in a gun battle. the search across this region for two more suspects is certainly under way. >> at the scene have they finished their search at the facility itself? >> reporter: it sounds like officers are still in a very active situation behind me. more than 100 police officers about three blocks behind me where we're told officers are still moving in and out of that building. sounds like the situation is not

quite as sflud fluid as it used. police are letting them do their work at the crime scene. but many vehicles continue to pour in and out of this area so it is certainly very busy as police push forward here at this crime scene and several miles away where that gun battle took place. this is just a few miles away -- from our understanding with be we can hear the police helicopters in the distance and see them in the distance. can't tell you exact will i how far it is from the crime scene here but i know officers immediately responding here also responded to that officer-involved shooting so it seems as though it is all the same jurisdiction. >> we've seen those armored vehicles now, they've moved closer to the suv. the officers now are outside so clearly they have observed the scene. seems to be safe enough for them now as they begin to approach that vehicle. again, you may be able to see that some of the windows were broken out, apparently from this gunfire as police honed in to

this vehicle, apparently the same vehicle, at least fitting the description of what witnesses reported. we'll pause here and continue our live coverage of thi britis "nbc nightly news." and a good evening to you. we have just witnessed a dramatic conclusion of a gun battle and standoff with police after a massive manhunt in southern california. the scene of this country's latest horrific mass shooting. it happened in san bernardino, east of los angeles. authorities say at least 14 people are dead. at least 14 more are wounded. in this massacre inside of a building that houses a center for the developmentally disabled. police say up to three heavily armed gunmen opened fire and escaped in a dark-colored suv. the suspects were on the run for hours and moments ago one or

more of them engaged in a shootout with police who hunted them down near the shooting scene in san bernardino. we have extended coverage. let's get right to miguel almaguer in california. what is the latest? >> reporter: well, lester, good evening. i'm at the crime scene. but a few miles away is where you are looking at the live picture from our local affiliate knbc here in los angeles. we heard from a press conference a short time ago that police did engage in a gun battle with a suspect in the dark-colored suv. the gun battle lasted a couple of seconds, possibly longer as offered responded. officers tell us it appears the suspect has been hit with gunfire. the police officer has not been injured. meantime, we heard police were looking for three suspects. they may have found one suspect as the search for two more suspects continues. meantime, lester, back here at our location, this is where it all began. just a few blocks behind us. police tell us three gunman entered a

building and simply started open firing. [ sirens ] . . >> reporter: a massive emergency response just after 11:00 a.m. chaos and carnage. >> we have at least 20 victims. >> reporter: the first early call, an active shooter or shooters moving through the inland regional center, a government building. >> we do have some preliminary numbers of upwards of 14 people that are dead. and upwards of 14 people that are injured. >> male in black clothing. he's still firing rounds. >> reporter: as police moved in to clear the building, room by room, victims poured out. school buses used to evacuate hundreds. one intersection turned into a triage center. s.w.a.t. teams swarm the our yeah as the walking wounded stagger to safe. >> be cautious who is coming to you. make sure their hands are up. >> stretcher after stretcher, wheeling out the most critical. some victims loaded

off the back of pickup trucks and to the hospital. anxious members arrived on scene waiting to hear about loved ones. >> i'm really scared for my sister. she said she is scared. she's hiding in a closet with two other people. >> they locked the door. that is all i know. that is all she told me. and then we stopped talking because i didn't want her to talk any more. >> reporter: police heard there were guam heavy masked with body armor. >> she saw a guy with a big gun. >> reporter: they may have fled in an suv and a device may have been left behind. the inland regional center, 60 miles north of los angeles, provides social services to individuals with development disabilities. it is a sprawling three-story building with a staff of more than 670 servicing thousands. just yesterday the scene of a holiday party. tonight the manhunt

for t for the gunman is well under way. >> we don't know if this is a terrorist incident. >> reporter: as all of southern california is on high alert. tonight, again, those numbers, 14 are dead. and we're now told 17 are injured. some injuries are very serious. and lester, again if we could see the live pictures a few miles away, police were looking for three suspects who entered the building. officers are telling us late tonight, they just engaged in a gun battle with a suspect in a dark-colored suv. that was the suv folks were on the lookout here for. police are telling us the suspect is down. but again, they were looking for three suspects wearing milt-style gear, body armor and armed with long rifles. they are told they were very dangerous. lester, this area is still on lockdown tonight. schools, public buildings, government buildings all shut down. this area on high alert as the search continues for more gunman. >> miguel almaguer, police saying the gunmen came prepared as if they were on a

mission. and pete, no matter how this plays out, this was not the typical domestic mass shooting we've come to know. what alarm bells have been sounding in washington tonight. >> well, first of all, they don't know who the gunmen are. and that is a mystery. it is an odd situation because in most of the mass shooting situations of 160 or so that the fbi has studied over the past dozen years, all but two involved a single gunman. it is unusual for three people to be involved. secondly, they got in and out very quickly. so they must have planned this and must have been familiar with that building. we are told tonight that one person rolled out of that suv when the police began to engage. that person was arrested. we're told that two other people remained in the suv and opened fire on the police and that one of those was killed. the other was wounded. and is presumably in custody as well. that is the initial reporting from the scene. and we'll get more information about -- now we're beginning to

learn about who these people were. but the assessment here in washington was, although they couldn't be sure what this was, it didn't seem to have the hallmarks of an act of terrorism. the witnesses said none of the gunmen said anything. none the phrases that we heard in france or other shootings inspired by isis or carried out by radical groups. and the key information was the description of the dark suv and an all pointed bulletin went out to law enforcement in the area to be on the lookout for that vehicle. and the police were pursuing them all over the area. we heard of vehicles like this being pursued and stopped. and clearly, when the police found this one, they found people who were shooting back. but the assumption tonight is that the people in that vehicle were the people who carried out the shooting. now the long investigation begins. look at those weapons, do they match the ballistics from the shooting scene and what else could they learn about why in the world these people did

it. >> a remarkable scene playing out there in southern california. with armored vehicles, have that vehicle surrounded. pete wiems, thank you. back to southern california now. with so much still developing in this mass shooting, it could be sometime before we learn the identity of the victims. all of that uncertainty is excruciating for those who don't know whether their loved ones are among the dead or the wounded. nbc's morgan radford is outside of one of the hospitals. what are you hearing there. >> reporter: good evening, lester. right now i'm outside of loma linda hospital where some of the victims are being treated. but just a few moments ago, a code yellow bomb threat was called in the hospital right behind me. and all of this is happening during a chaosic scene where family members are trickling in right now trying to figure out anything they can about their loved o ones. the emergency situation has shut the community down. 70 schools on lockdown and security surrounding public hospitals and courts

and public offices closed. for families, the not knowing is agonizing. >> i can't think. i just want my sister. >> reporter: fear over the fate of loved ones at or near the inland regional center. >> i've been trying to call her and she won't respond. >> reporter: alex johnson hasn't heard from his daughter who was supposed to be at the center and might still be inside. >> she helps out with the red cross and disabled with cerebral palsy. it is terrible. >> reporter: for most, they didn't even know if loved ones were among the victims. >> we know this is a human incident and this is a tragedy and we have a lot of folks out there very concerned and worried about loved ones that may have been at the that facility today. >> reporter: but there was some relief. >> my daughter is out of the building and she's safe. she immediately went and hid in a back office somewhere with some other people and they locked themselves in and they hid. relieved. but sad for the others. >> reporter: luis guiterrez was one of

the lucky ones. his wife made it out unharmed. >> i'm just going to hug her. >> reporter: lester, we just spoke to one of the security guards who is guarding the entrance where the families are coming in. she said she spoke to three or four family members, one was a young man waiting to check on his uncle. right now it is all a waiting game. >> thank you. we continue to focus on the scene playing out there in san bernardino as they continue to position the vehicles, officers still using extreme caution, even though they believe the suspects have been shot. earlier, i had a chance to speak with a man you just heard from in morgan's report, patrick simpson. his daughter is an inturn who was inside of the building when the shots began. here is what patrick told me. >> can you characterize what you are hearing from your daughter and is she okay? >> she seems to be okay. i called her, of course, when i got her text and heard what was going on. i called her and she grabbed the phone and

she was whispering and said she was in a room with nine other people and she was at the building where this all happened and they moved them into a safe room. >> can you tell us what she heard? can she characterize what she saw or heard during all of this. >> she had just gotten there as this just happened so thankfully she was not right smack in the middle of it. but the minute she walked in, they grabbed everybody and moved them to another room where everything was happening. and i guess she told me three men in masks and they were in the building and they couldn't find them and so that is when is i talked to her and she was whispering and couldn't speak because they hadn't put her in a safe room yet. >> now this is important. three men in masks. did she see them or that was the word that was being filtered to those in the building? >> that was the word that she was being filtered i guess from the people in the room that she was in the

room with. she interns at that facility but i didn't know it was the actual building. so i was freaked out. and she texted me. and when i did talk to her for a minute. i'm like send me a picture. take a picture of you so i could see you are okay and send it to me. she goes -- and she did. i'm like, thank god. >> you could imagine the anguish, patrick simpson in a conversation in the height of this all this as s.w.a.t. teams are going door-to-door in the building looking for further threats. back to miguel almaguer right now. we keep focusing on this picture of the armored vehicles surrounding the suspect suv. explain what we think is happening here. >> well, lester, it looks like police are moving into that area. they are certainly going to use caution. there was concern when the suspects came into the building at the crime scene, that they may have had explosives. so police are in the area with armored vehicles, taking their time and being cautious as they approach the vehicle. now, lester, we could tell you that police told us they were engaged in a gun

battle with sun suspect -- one suspect at the scene you are looking at. one suspect. but they told us when they got the call, the witnesses told us there were three suspects. so the investigation is still ongoing and police are fanning out all across the area. but this looks to be the biggest lead. now a short time ago the public information officer told us they could not confirm this was one of of their suspects. but they certainly indicated it was. they said they were looking for a dark-colored suv and multiple suspects inside. well, as you could see, officers did find a dark-colored suv. they were engaged in a gun battle and now it appears they are trying to look inside that vehicle. but again, they are using caution, taking their time as there is concern there could be skboesive devices, not only in the vehicle but also at the crime scene. >> that was one of the cautions earlier, they were worried about secondary devices and if they take position behind shields and armored vehicles, they are going slow and cautious. miguel almaguer, thank you very much. i'll bring in clint van zandt, a

former fbi profiler. you may have heard pete williams note this does not have the earmarks as of what we think of as international terrorism. during our coverage earlier, we discussed the possibility of some other relationship between individuals, perhaps a familiar relationship. any insight based on what we've seen so far? >> that is something we're going to find out, obviously within the next few hours. but i think both your observation and those of pete williams are correct, that should this have been international terrorism, we would have heard some of the phrases, we would have had organizations claiming credit for this. and we probably would have seen a different type of targeting. and again, as pete suggested in the 150 or so mass shootings the fbi has looked at, only two of them had multiple shooters, lester. in sessence, more than -- in essence, more than one person involved. so this is a true an

omology, and it is notwithstanding the terrible situation that took place, the dead and wounded. but it is also going to be a case study for those behavioralists and those in law enforcement that what has taken play in today that allows some time of emotional glue to bond, it appears now three people together, to somehow come together and make a pact that we're going to commit an attack, we're going to commit an act of mass domestic terror at least, and we're going to murder as many people as we can. that is a hard thing to understand, is how three people short of international terrorists could bond so tightly and so closely to do something like that. >> let me go back to pete williams. you have new information, i understand. >> it is a possible explanation for why you see the officers approaching this vehicle so gingerly. still keeping cover behind armored vehicles.

what they want to make sure of is that there are no explosive devices in that suv. they think there may be, so they are going to wait until they can get someone in to -- bomb technicians to look at that. and secondly, we believe that the one person who was wounded may still be in that vehicle, may still be alive and may still present a threat. so that is why they are approaching this with such caution and you don't see any of them out in the open exposing themselves to potential fire or explosions. they are all keeping cover. and i'm not sure exactly what the next step is here but they are worried about two possible threats, explosives a possibility, they don't know that for certain but in this situation you have to assume that could be. and secondly, the possibility that one of the gunman is still alive inside of the vehicle, wounded. but they don't know whether or not he presents a threat. >> and pete, as we watch this, this is about two miles from

where the shooting took place earlier in the day. i've never really seen a vehicle like this. it is hard to tell if it is robotically operated but there are officers positioned behind shields. apparently poised to further approach that vehicle. and as we watch this, pete, i want to clarify here. is it your understanding that all three suspects are inside of that vehicle? >> no. it is our understanding that one of them rolled out when the police initially engaged the vehicle. this is our preliminary information, we should caution. and we don't have a definitive word on this yet. but the breaking information that we have is that when the police came upon this vehicle, one of the three rolled out and was arrested. two of them remained and began firing at police. we know that one of them has been wounded. we think one of them has been killed. and apparently the one that was wounded is still in the vehicle and may present a threat and that is why they are being so cautious here. that is our understanding. the armored vehicles, by the way, lots of police have these similar vehicles.

and the one on the left is like the one that was used just last week in the colorado springs planned parenthood shooting where the police were able to actually push their way into the building with these to get some of the people out of that facility in colorado springs. so a lot of police departments have armored vehicles. >> and right, and this one with the shield, they brought almost to the door of the vehicle. and you clarified certainly the status of the three. but the bottom line is all three are essentially out of action. they are either dead, wounded or cornered? >> that is our best understanding from talking to several sources. but, you know, the question is if that was the case, why are they being so careful about this vehicle and we believe that is the answer. >> and we believe the s.w.a.t., colton, one of the communities in san bernardino. this is an all hands on deck call for law enforcement mutual aid in this area. this is two miles from the developmental disability center where the -- today's

deadly attacks took place. and we could see the s.w.a.t. team members continue to work their way, keeping behind shields, behind their ballistic armored vehicles here, making ready to make their approach on that suspect vehicle. you perhaps from this distance could see the windshield pocked with bullet holes from the gun fight with police. miguel almaguer, you are near the scene of the shooting today. there was some concern that maybe a police officer had been hit in all of this. any word on that? >> lester, there certainly was. we heard reports that a police officer may have been injured during the shooting. but we just spoke to a public information officer here, a lieutenant who tells us at this hour it does not appear -- it appears a police officer was not injured. so nobody was injured, at least according to law enforcement. no officers were injured during the shootout. but this happened about two miles away. i can confirm what pete williams is reporting, what we are

hearing here on the ground from officials. after this gun battle, police were engaged with one suspect and one suspect may have been hit and may have been injured in the shootout. police are now trying to move in, trying to locate or pin down that suspect. as the search continues for two more suspects in this area. lester, this area is about 65 miles outside of los angeles. it is a sprawling community. so police have much of the area on lockdown. we're told schools, courthouses, many public buildings have been told to lockdown and shelter in place. so certainly a very active scene here as police push in on one suspect. that search for two more certainly continues. >> as you are speaking, miguel, we are watching this vehicle that keep as approaching the suspect car and then backing off. they appear to either be getting an angle on it or perhaps moving back and forward getting as good of a view as they can inside of the car to understand if there is any more threat from the people inside before they expose themselves and try to take those individuals into custody. we continue to watch this. pete williams, what do you have?

>> well, the other possibility here, lester, if the suspect in the car is still alive, they may be trying to talk to him and get him to -- if he is able, to get up and surrender. so that is a possibility as well. he may not be able to. what miguel just said is as odds with the information that i have. but that is not unusual in these situations. i've been told from a couple of sources that all three had been accounted for but we've also heard conflicting reports about whether one of them got away and whether they are not all accounted for. so this is par for the course in these situations where information is being relayed very quickly and sometimes it turns out to be at odds and that is precisely what we have right now. >> yeah, we're watching this operation here as they continue to close in on this vehicle. and clint van zandt, you've done hostage negotiation work. at this point, assuming there is no hostage, no real negotiation, but what kind of communication would there be to try and get someone to

surrender who is in a hopeless predicament. >> there is a number of things going on. number one, they would try to talk someone out of the vehicle. but we've seen enough terrorist -- domestic or international -- that have explosive vests. we know for example, when you were in paris, covering that situation, one of the reasons why there was such an amount of gunfire coming in is that police were afraid a terrorist with a vest could come out and charge the police. so i guarantee you these officers don't want anyone running out of that vehicle. and as you see right now, you have the two tactical vehicles on the left and on the right. not only does this afford armored protection, but it gives the officers the high ground, they could be up looking through a gun port on top of that, looking down. and lester, one, two, or all three police vehicles to include what i believe to be the bomb tech vehicle that is on the side, all will have a camera capability so they'll be able to monitor if

there is any movement inside without actually getting up close where you have to put eyes on. there may be a wounded man inside, but these officers will not jeopardize their lives at this point. >> so two potential threats here. one is a suspect is alive and has his hand on a weapon. the other is there might be explosives. >> yes. and eerm one. there might be explosives or explosives on them. they could have the door wired on that vehicle so if it was opened. these are kind of games bonnie and type of scenarios. but the officers have to consider every potential scenario. and again, that is why we see what looks like this bomb disposal unit, that has been brought out to the scene. you want to get that forward and let them take a look inside and make sure that the vehicle is bomb-free before the officers pull the doors out and pull the suspects out. >> but ideally you would like to talk

them out. >> absolutely. if there is anybody left inside, you want them to be out but take one step and be on the ground. we haven't seen them try that so far. it may mean an individual is shot or dead and not able to do it. but again, they are going to take their time. time is on their hands right now, lester. they've got -- they've got this situation surrounded. nobody is going anywhere inside of the vehicle. the only challenge right now is what pete williams suggests, is the possibility that there is one person out. hopefully in custody. if not, on the run. and lester, remember, even if we have these three people, who else knew about this? who else might have been involved in the planning that might be on the run right now. so that is why law enforcement wants to get this vehicle and these three people in custody, but they also want to find out, is there anyone else out there in this group who either contributed to this financially or physically, or who may be planning some type of second attack.

far-fetched, we've seen it happen again. so they have to make sure on this one. >> obviously, real-life drama here. very perilous situation and we want to assure our viewers, we have got a slight delay here. obviously, we don't know the outcome of what we are watching here and we will guard against broadcasting any too difficult images from there. just a word of note. but if you are just tuning into our broadcast, "nightly news," we have watching what could be the final act of this horrible day in san bernardino, california. where 14 people were killed in a work-setting shooting, 17 others have been injured and it appears the suspects cornered in a bloody shootout here in san bernardino. we take a very short break. we'll continue our coverage in just a ♪ i built my business with passion. but i keep it growing by making every dollar count. that's why i have the spark cash card from capital one. i earn unlimited 2% cash back on everything i buy for my studio.

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welcome back. we take you back to san bernardino, california. today, scene of a deadly shooting. 14 people dead, at least 17 injured. all leading to this late-afternoon standoff between police s.w.a.t. and the suspects. as many as three suspects in an suv cornered in a deadly shootout. and right now police waiting to make their move and try to get inside of that vehicle as they assess the threat. miguel almaguer is in san bernardino to bring us up to speed. miguel. >> reporter: lester, i could tell you the scene you are looking at, the live affiliate from knbc is coming from two miles away from where the shooting began this afternoon. police are officially telling us that an officer was involved in a gun battle with one person inside of that suv. while they will not cop firm that is the suspect -- confirm that is the suspect or suspects wanted in this shooting here, it seems to be the indication. they were looking for a black suv.

this is a dark-colored suv. they were engaged in a gun battle with that suspect. now we are also told from officials on scene that only one person was involved in this shooting. is we don't know where the other two suspects are. police told us they were looking for three suspects. they appeared to have found one, two miles away. this entire area and region is on lockdown as police scour the area for the other two suspects. certainly a developing situation, as you could see. police moving in very slowly here. there was concern that the suspect or suspects may have had pipe bombs or explosive material. so police are using extreme caution as they approach this scene. they certainly don't want any officers injured. we are told at this hour no officers have been injured in the attack. they will focus on the suspects an the manhunt. >> and there are conflicting reports in the status of the suspects. they may, in fact, we are told, two may be in the vehicle. but this will sort out as long as it takes with law enforcement here.

obviously, their first concern is the safety of officers and bringing this to an end and hopefully rounding up all three suspects. pete williams, what do you have before we go off? >> i think we are getting more clarity now on the situation here. because this information has been conflicting. the best information we have now of the three, one person is in that suv you are looking at that has been shot dead. the second person in the car has been wounded. appears to be moving around a little bit. certainly still alive. breathing. holding a weapon. and that is why they are approaching it in such a guarded manner. and the third -- the third thing that we're worried about is explosive devices in that car and they are looking at that as well. that leaves us the third person that was originally in the car that we had told -- had been told rolled out of the car when the police confronted him. our initial information was that that person was taken into custody. now what we're being told is that not the

case and this person is being chased, lester. >> so as we said, a volatile situation there in san bernardino. to many, many of our stations, our "nightly news" coverage with continue with a special second half hour of coverage. for others, this is all for this edition of "nbc nightly news." we'll be back on with updates at nbcnightlynews.com. for all of us at nbc news, good night.

and a very good evening, everyone. we could be witnessing the final act in a massive manhunt in southern california, following the latest mass shooting to impact this cotry. a short time ago police cornered an suv and engaged in a shootout with at least one individual inside in the streets of san bernardino. it is about two miles away from the scene of the massacre hours earlier at afacility that houses those with developmental disabilities. at least 14 people were killed. several others were wounded, sparking a massive search for as