(CNN)The SWAT team was just finishing up an "active-shooter" training exercise when they got the call that a real-life massacre was taking place at a San Bernardino County government building.
The team arrived in nine minutes, but too late to make the initial entry. A San Bernardino detective, a patrol officer, a motorcycle officer, and a staff lieutenant on his lunch break had already entered the building with only handguns to rescue people they believed were still under threat by shooters armed with AR-15 assault rifles on December 2, 2015.
The non-tactical team moved in a "diamond formation" they had learned during active-shooter training; they went through the door, uncertain of what waited, after one uttered, "Okay, it is time to go."
"I felt so naked, because we didn"t have cover and concealment approaching the building," the patrol officer told debriefers who studied the police response. "You know you are outgunned; it is going to be hard to beat an AR with a handgun, so I knew we needed good shot placement."
The remarks were part of the 141-page review of the police response to the shootings, which left 14 people dead and 22 wounded.
Multiple police cars swarmed the scene for the firefight, and the officers in those cars protected the deputy from being flanked by Farook.
Gunfire brought down Farook, who lost his AR-15 when he fell. He rose to a seated position and switched to a handgun, but it malfunctioned after firing one round, the report said.
Rounds continued to hit him, the report said. He sustained 25 bullet wounds, some while trying to rise.
"He went down ultimately where he was killed, but before that he switched to a handgun, and I kept shooting," the deputy said. "I saw a bunch of blood coming out. I knew he was out of the fight."
Tashfeen Malik was still firing repeatedly at police from inside the SUV. She hit a San Bernardino officer in the thigh, a wound which another officer quickly dressed as the gunfight continued.
Police used a cruiser for cover to rescue the deputy and the wounded officer. Meanwhile, a barrage of gunfire from multiple angles hammered the SUV, hitting Malik 15 times, with two bullets striking her head and killing her.
The terrorists fired at least 81 rounds at officers. Altogether, 24 officers fired at least 440 shots at Farook and Malik, the report said.
"Several officers felt bullets whizzing by as they exited their vehicles approximately 80 yards back, one later describing a scene so strangely serene that he could clearly hear his own breathing," the report said.
The aftermath
Overall, more than 175 law enforcement officers from various local, county, state, and federal agencies arrived at the battle scene.
The Redlands sergeant said he became aware of the overwhelming support after the firing ceased.
"I couldn"t believe when I turned around and saw how many police officers there were standing behind the car," he said. "That was quite a sight to see."
A search of the SUV uncovered:
An additional 1,879 rounds of .223 ammunition for the rifles and 484 rounds of 9-mm bullets for the pistol. Some of the bullets were still in an ammo canister while some were in a black backpack where some magazines had been taped together for quicker reloading,
Investigators found what they believed were triggers intended for detonating explosives located at the government center.
Medical supplies were found in a blue backpack, including ibuprofen pills; several quick-clot agents, including tourniquets, to stop bleeding; emergency bandages for traumatic wounds; and even adult diapers, possibly to act as absorbing bandages.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/10/us/san-bernardino-terrorist-after-action-report/index.html
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