Lockdowns, Bomb Threat Follow San Bernardino Mass Shooting

Reports of the shooting caused all of the schools in the county to lock down and created a rush at nearby hospitals.

The tragic shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. forced people in nearby schools and businesses to shelter in place and created a chaotic rush at the local hospitals treating the victims.

Around 11 a.m. PST two suspects opened fire on a holiday party at Inland Regional Center, which serves developmentally disabled people, using assault rifles and handguns. Police responded to the scene four minutes after the first 911 call, but didn’t fatally wound the couple believed to be responsible until four hours after the attack began.

In those tense hours police got into a car chase with the suspects and traded gunfire with them after locating the suspects in a nearby Redlands home. In all, 14 people were killed and 17 were injured in the shooting, which was the deadliest of its kind since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

As news of the attack spread, all schools in San Bernardino County were locked down, as well as city government buildings and court houses, according to the Los Angeles Times. School officials later told media outlets that no students had been in danger and were able to leave school on their normal schedule.

San Bernardino City shools will be open today, but they will remain on high alert, reports the Press Enterprise. Classroom doors and perimeter fences will be locked as a safety precaution. At Cal State San Bernardino, it’s “business as usual,” says a spokesman for the university. Classes are also resuming at San Bernardino Valley College and Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa.

Area hospitals were also greatly affected by the mass shooting. As police continued efforts to apprehend the suspects, victims of the shooting flooded hospitals nearby. Loma Linda University Medical Center, a teaching hospital, cared for at least five victims while Arrowhead Regional Medical Center held several other shooting victims.

Adding to the frantic atmosphere, a bomb threat was called in to Loma Lidna around 2:40 p.m., according to ktla.com. Classes were cancelled at the hospital for the day and students were told to stay away from public areas of the campus as a response to the threat. Police cleared the hospital, which is the only Level I trauma center in the area, at 3:30 p.m. following a K-9 search.

Of the five victims being treated at Loma Linda, two were critical but stable, two were fair and one was still being assessed.

Campus Safety will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.

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About the Author

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Zach Winn is a journalist living in the Boston area. He was previously a reporter for Wicked Local and graduated from Keene State College in 2014, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism and minoring in political science.

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