It was just after 11:00 in the morning. A Wednesday. People were mostly thinking about the holiday potluck and the fact that they were halfway through a standard training day. Then, the doors to the Inland Regional Center swung open, and the world changed for San Bernardino.
Honestly, the term shooting San Bernardino CA usually brings up that specific, dark Tuesday in 2015, but for the people living there, it’s not just a Wikipedia entry. It’s a date that divided their lives into "before" and "after."
The Morning No One Saw Coming
Syed Rizwan Farook wasn't a stranger. He was a coworker. He sat in those same meetings, worked as an environmental health specialist, and apparently, he’d been planning to kill the people he shared coffee with for a long time.
He left the session early. People probably thought he was just ducking out of a boring lecture. He came back with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, and they weren't there to talk. They were dressed in tactical gear—vests, masks, the whole thing—and they were carrying AR-15 style rifles.
In about three or four minutes, they fired over 100 rounds.
The chaos was instant. Fire sprinklers were triggered by the bullets, flooding the room with water and making it almost impossible to see. People were hiding under tables, inside closets, and behind whatever they could find. One man, Shannon Johnson, famously used his body to shield a coworker. He didn't make it.
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Fourteen people died that morning. Twenty-two others were seriously wounded.
Why this hit differently
Usually, when you hear about a shooting, it’s a lone wolf or a random act. This was different. The FBI eventually classified it as a terrorist act—the deadliest on U.S. soil since 9/11 at the time. The couple had radicalized privately, "consuming poison on the internet," as the investigators put it.
They even left their six-month-old daughter with a grandmother that morning, telling her they had a doctor’s appointment.
The Chase and the Shootout
The couple didn't stay at the scene. They vanished in a black SUV, sparking a massive manhunt that shut down the city.
Around 3:00 p.m., police spotted the vehicle. What followed was a high-speed chase that ended in a residential neighborhood on San Bernardino Avenue. It looked like a movie scene, but the bullets were very real. Seven different agencies were involved in the final gun battle.
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- The suspects fired 81 rounds at officers.
- Police fired back—a lot. 23 officers discharged their weapons.
- Both Farook and Malik were killed in the street.
When the smoke cleared, the interior of the SUV was a mess of ammunition and medical supplies. They had nearly 2,500 rounds of ammo left. They weren't planning on stopping at the Inland Regional Center.
A Decade Later: Where San Bernardino Stands in 2026
We are now ten years past that day. If you drive by the Inland Regional Center today, it looks quiet, but the scars are everywhere if you know where to look.
Recently, the community gathered for the 10-year anniversary. It wasn't just about mourning; it was about the "Curtains of Resilience." That’s the official memorial. It’s made of 14 bronze-colored alcoves. Each one is personalized by the families of the victims. Some have specific glass colors, others have phrases that meant something to the person they lost.
Current Crime Realities
You've probably seen the headlines lately. San Bernardino still struggles. According to recent 2024 and 2025 data from the San Bernardino Police Department, violent crime actually saw a bit of a spike—about 33% in one year.
But it’s important to distinguish between the 2015 terror attack and the everyday gun violence the city faces now. Most of what you see in the news today involves localized disputes or homicides, like the tragic shooting of Ronald Ray Garrett in late 2024.
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The city is trying. They've ramped up "Level 3" security at county buildings. That means armed personnel who are actually permitted to engage threats, not just observe and report.
What most people get wrong
There’s a common misconception that the Inland Regional Center was a "soft target" because it was a government building. Technically, it’s a non-profit that provides services for people with developmental disabilities. The victims weren't "soldiers"—they were health inspectors and office workers.
People also forget about the pipe bombs. The couple left a sophisticated explosive device at the center, rigged to a remote trigger. They were driving around the city after the shooting, allegedly trying to detonate it while first responders were inside. Thankfully, the trigger failed.
Moving Forward and Staying Safe
If you live in or are visiting the area, the city feels different now. There is a "redoubled effort" on physical security, as the Board of Supervisors put it.
What can you actually do with this information?
- Check the San Bernardino Police Department’s transparency portal. They are surprisingly open with their crime stats now, often releasing monthly data so you can see which neighborhoods are seeing more activity.
- Support the San Bernardino United Relief Fund. While the immediate crisis is over, many survivors still deal with the long-term medical and psychological costs of that day.
- Participate in the "Day of Remembrance." Cal State San Bernardino hosts this every December at their Peace Garden. It’s a good way to see the community's side of the story, rather than just the police reports.
The 2015 shooting was a moment of pure darkness, but the way the city didn't fold is the part that usually gets left out of the national news. They kept the lights on. They went back to work. They built a place to remember.
Next Steps for You:
If you want to dive deeper into how the city has changed its security protocols, you should look into the "After Action Reports" published by Cal OES. They detail exactly how the 17 different responding agencies have changed their communication systems to prevent the radio "dead zones" that happened during the 2015 chase. You can also visit the memorial at the San Bernardino County Government Center to see the 14 alcoves in person.