there was an officer-involved shooting. that s count, i d been told that we had 20 or 21 officers that were involved in that gun battle with the suspects. the two suspects that were in that car are both deceased, and i have their names. first one has been identified as syed rizwan farook. he is 28 years old. i am told that he is u.s.-born. the person that was with him is a female. she is deceased as well. her name is tashfeen malik. she is 27 years old. i do not have any additional information on where she is from at this point. i ll talk about the investigation a little bit. there was some questions that you guys asked at an earlier press conference about a person that had left the meeting angry. this was a meeting, christmas party-type event.
we re all victims today. we stand united in our sorrow. and the only way we can come through is is through our solidarity. we appreciate you being here. thank you for being with us. we ll take a short break here. after a very short break, we hear from witnesses who took shelter at a school for the blind right across the street from where the shooting happened.
motive behind a mass shooting that s left 17 people dead and 17 others injured. it started at a community care center where employees gathered for a holiday party. they believe a man left and opened fire. we are just learning from police that a bay with rudimentary education explosive guys was found inside the facility. there was a shootout with police. authorities say they were dressed in assault style clothing, armed with handguns and assault rifles. this is what the san bernardino had to say. one of the tips that we were following up on took us to a house in redlands where we made contact with the suspect vehicle that we were looking for. that resulted in a pursuit which ultimately came back into the city of san bernardino and on san bernardino avenue between richardson and mountain view avenue, that pursuit terminated.
this is cnn breaking news. welcome back to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. you re watching cnn s breaking news of mass shootings at a california conference center. it s gone 11:50 on a wednesday night. i m isha sesay in los angeles. police have identified the suspect in that shooting. one is a man named syed farook, a county employ in san bernadino county. his wife or girlfriend is tashfeen malik. both were killed in a shoot-out after they led police on a chase. they were dressed in assault-style clothing, armed with and guns and assault rifles. the couple left their
armor and heavily-armed. police say they came prepared for this attack. police, s.w.a.t. teams, the atf and fbi raced to the scene and set up a perimeter. they believe the shooters were still somewhere inside the large complex. loved ones of those trapped inside also arrive. this man s daughter texted him. she was hiding. shooting at my work. people shot. in the office, waiting for cops. but she s okay. pray for us. reporter: this man got a text from his wife, when the shooting started. she said the guy shot came in next to her office. and i guess started shooting. they locked themselves in her office. they seen bodies on the floor. she said right now, ambulance are taking people out in stretchers. reporter: as families wait for answers, california s governor is briefed. so is the president.