Riverside police provided security Wednesday for an office affiliated with the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, where multiple people were shot, and Riverside County sheriff’s officials went on high alert, taking precautions to bolster public safety as law enforcement continued to grapple with the “unresolved, fluid situation.”
Agencies throughout the region went on alert immediately after the mass- casualty rampage at the IRC, a treatment center for the developmentally disabled located at 1365 Waterman Ave.
The nonprofit facility, which employs about 600 people and serves 31,000 individuals with intellectual disorders throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties, is under contract with the California Department of Developmental Services.
Preliminary reports indicated three suspects, possibly armed with assault weapons and wearing body armor, perpetrated the killings at about 11 a.m. San Bernardino police said at least 14 people were killed and another 14 wounded. There was no word on a possible motive.
Riverside police dispatchers, disseminating information received by the San Bernardino Police Department, said the killers fled the scene in a black SUV, possibly a GMC Yukon.
“All our stations are on alert,” Riverside County Sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Michael Vasquez said. “This is an unresolved, fluid situation.”
He told City News Service that the SBPD had not requested assistance, but sheriff’s personnel were standing by to provide mutual aid.
“We’re taking precautions, checking to ensure the security of places of interest, including schools and hospitals,” Vasquez said, adding that such locations are considered “sensitive” and will receive extra patrols or staffing for the time being.
Within an hour of the shootings, Riverside police patrol units were sent to the administrative field office for the Inland Regional Center, located at 1500 Iowa Ave., just off Marlborough Avenue, near downtown. Riverside police Sgt. Mike Barney told CNS that the move was precautionary.
According to reports from the scene, with officers parked outside the building, employees left the property, apparently going home or to another location for the remainder of the day.
Reports out of Washington, D.C., indicated that President Obama was briefed on the shooting.
Gov. Jerry Brown was also briefed and “is closely monitoring this disturbing and ongoing situation unfolding in San Bernardino,” according to the governor’s office.
Dr. April Lopez, chair for the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, released a statement describing the day’s events as “heartbreaking for the disabled community in California.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the shooting victims and their loved ones and the first responders who are doing everything possible to make this situation safe,” Lopez said. “As this active shooter incident continues to unfold, we ask all consumers who utilize regional center services throughout the state to consider postponing visits … until the authorities deem the incident resolved and any threats to people with disabilities or their support staff are eliminated.
“We are working with federal, state and local officials to ensure that all who have been affected are safe.”
— Wire reports