On December 2nd, Syed Rizwan Farook (28) was attending a holiday party at the local Social Services Center in San Bernardino, California. After Farook was a part of a heated argument, he left the holiday party in a state of rage—later returning at 11:00 AM with partner Tashfeen Malik (29).
Both Farook and Malik were wearing masks and body armor armed with .223 caliber assault rifles and semiautomatic handguns. They entered the holiday party and released horrific fire that ultimately killed 14 and wounded at least 17. Once they finished their “mission," they fled the scene in a black sport utility vehicle.
Twenty police officers followed the suspects' car, ultimately leading to a shootout that put the city of San Bernardino in a state of panic and locked down all buildings and neighborhoods. The manhunt resulted in one wounded officer with Farook and Malik pronounced dead at the scene and the third suspect being detained and investigated.
This has been named the deadliest mass shooting in the United States, since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting nearly 3 years ago. The investigators say that Farook and Malik had a terrorist motive because they were prepared with tactical clothing and weapons—which allowed officers to infer plans were made in advance.
The nation will never forget this terrifying event and neither will our leaders. The FBI are still conducting an investigation to fully understand the motives behind this attack. President Obama has stated that the nation needs to focus on better background checks and new restrictions on access to guns for people who may pose a danger.
On Sunday, President Obama publicly addressed the ever important terrorism issue and stated that,
"The threat from terrorism is real. But we will overcome it."
Because he is remaining a calm and steady voice throughout this terrifying time, it helps our nation see that we are strong enough to survive these harsh times.
It is detrimental to keep Obama's optimism in mind when discussing this pressing and stressful topic; and to keep faith that, if we stand up against ISIL as an entire nation, we will overcome this.
