President Obama, First Lady Meet With Families Of Victims Slain In San Bernardino Massacre
SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — President Barack Obama and the first lady traveled to San Bernardino on Friday to pay their respects to the families of 14 victims who were shot and killed by a radicalized couple during a holiday party.
The Obamas arrived in San Bernardino sometime before 8 p.m.
After the meeting -- about an hour or so in an undisclosed location -- the Obamas traveled on to Hawaii for their Christmas vacation.
Summer Adams, whose husband Robert was killed in the attack, was thankful the president came help the families in their time of grief.
A pastor named Ernie told CBS2's Crystal Cruz he was also supportive of the Obama visit.
"It shows that he does care. That he's coming here, just to speak to them and give his support," said the pastor.
Meanwhile, San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman on Thursday criticized the president for not coming sooner.
But CBS2's Erica Nochlin said other local politicians were on hand and were more than supportive. There was also an enthusiastic crowd of people eager to get a glimpse of the first couple.
"It was about an hour drive in traffic to get here, but it was worth it," Pomona resident Eddie Rojas said.
Lorraine Alcarez got a glimpse as the president waved from his car.
"It's just amazing that I got to see him," said Alcarez. "It's amazing that he is here to support these families."
The president also got well-wishes from people who are admittedly not supporters.
"Even though we have differences in politics or whatever," said San Bernardino resident Michael Romero, "this is still a historic moment for us in San Bernardino, and we'll always remember this for the rest of our lives."
Robert Cuencas, another San Bernardino resident, was glad to see the first couple make their presence felt.
"I think it's really awesome," he said. "The families have been through so much, the whole city, so it's an honor to have him here."
The visit comes a day after major developments in the investigation were released.
On Thursday, Enrique Marquez Jr., 24, was arrested and charged with providing material support to a terrorist, making false statements in the acquisition of firearms and fraudulent procurement of an immigration visa. He is due back in court Monday.
According to the FBI, Marquez purchased the two semiautomatic rifles in 2012, which were used in the attack.
He was the former neighbor and childhood friend of Syed Rizwan Farook.
Federal officials said Farook and Marquez plotted to carry out an attack on Riverside Community College and the 91 Freeway during rush hour in 2012, but they abandoned their plans.
According to a criminal complaint, Marquez told the FBI he purchased the rifles because his appearance was Caucasian while Farook looked Middle Eastern. Marquez also purchased explosive material that was used to build a pipe bomb found at the Inland Regional Center after the shootings.
On Dec. 2, Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 27, used AR-15 style rifles to open fire on employees attending a holiday party being held in a conference room at the IRC.
Fourteen people died and 22 people were injured.
After the shooting massacre, Farook and Malik were killed during a shootout with police.
On Wednesday, the couple was buried during a sparsely attended funeral in an undisclosed location.
According to the FBI, Malik entered the U.S. in 2014 on a fianceé visa. Federal officials said the couple had been radicalized long before the shooting, even prior to being married.
