On Wednesday, December 2, 2015 a shooting occurred in San Bernardino, California. Syed Rizwan Farook attended a holiday gathering and left angry for unknown reasons. Syed Rizwan Farook returned with his wife Tashfeen Malik and they started shooting at the crowd.

During this shooting, 14 people were killed and 21 were injured. Afterwards, officers searched the scene and found an un-detonated pipe bomb. The investigation was first being worked on by the San Bernardino authorities. Then on Friday, December 4, 2015, the FBI took over. The FBI reported that they were treating this as an “act of terrorism.” The motive for this massacre is still unknown, but according to a law enforcement official, the shooting is looking more like self-radicalization. Investigators believe that the couple planned this shooting. David Bowdich, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said that Farook and Malik practiced at gun ranges prior to the attack.

After shooting at the crowd, Farook and Malik fled the scene. Officers then pursued them to a house but they fled again, leading to a police chase and a shootout. Farook and Malik were killed during the shootout. They were a married couple with a daughter. On the day of the shooting, they left their daughter with Farook’s mother. Leading up to December 2, they had no trouble with the law. David Chesley, an attorney representing Farook’s family, claimed the family did not see anything that would lead them to start this attack.

This shooting affects HMSA’s environment because it increases fear and students get the feeling that they aren’t safe. This is also a threat because the shooting happened nearby–an hour and thirty minutes drive from Hawthorne. The victims could’ve been someone students knew. Xochitl Arquieta, a 10^th grader, had an opinion on this situation. She thought “the shooting was a really cruel act against peace and love.” Diana Sanchez, also a 10^th grader, had the same opinion Xochitl did. Diana thought “the crime was unnecessary because there have been a lot of shootings and there is still an unknown reason for this shooting.”