President Obama didn’t rule out terrorism — citing possible “mixed motives” behind Wednesday’s San Bernardino shooting rampage that left at least 14 dead.
“It is possible that this is terrorist-related, but we do not know,” Obama said at a Thursday morning press conference. “It is also possible that this was workplace-related.”
“What I can assure the American people is we’re going to get to the bottom of this and that we are going to be vigilant as we always are about getting the facts before we issue any decisive judgments.”
Authorities are still trying to figure out what led a California-based couple to shoot up an office holiday party at the Inland Regional Center, which provides services for people with developmental disabilities.
“There may be mixed motives, which makes the investigation more complicated,” Obama said.
He also doubled down on his Wednesday comments about the US’s unparalleled gun problems – saying it’s time to take “basic steps” to increase gun safety laws.
“We see the prevalence of these kinds of mass shootings in this country,” Obama said. “I think so many Americans sometimes feel as if there is nothing that we can do about it.”
While commending police and military who put their lives on the line to protect Americans, the president said everyone has “a part to play.”
“We can’t just leave it to our professionals to deal with the problems of these kinds of horrible killings,” Obama said.