Several memorials were being held throughout the day Friday to mark the first anniversary of the terror attack at San Bernardino’s Inland Regional Center, which claimed the lives of 14 people and injured nearly two dozen others on Dec. 2, 2015.
The victims killed in the shooting were: Robert Adams, 40; Isaac Amanios, 60; Bennetta Betbadal, 46; Harry Bowman, 46; Sierra Clayborn, 27; Juan Espinoza, 50; Aurora Godoy, 26; Shannon Johnson, 45; Larry Daniel Kaufman, 42; Damian Meins, 58; Tin Nguyen, 31; Nicholas Thalasinos, 52; Yvette Valesco, 27; and Michael Raymond Wetzel, 37.
The largest event, called A Night of Remembrance, began at 6:30 p.m. with a Cal State San Bernardino student’s rendition of John Lennon’s song “Imagine” at university’s Coussoulis Arena.
The memorial was organized by the university, the San Bernardino Mayor’s Office, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and the San Bernardino Community College Districts, among other groups, the university’s website stated.
“I am humbled by the partners that have come together to unite for this event,” San Bernardino Mayor R. Carey Davis said in the news release. “Our community continues to stand together united in solidarity and support for the victims, survivors, and families of those affected by the December 2nd terrorist attack.”
The first event Friday, a memorial bike ride hosted by the San Bernardino Police Department, started at 7:30 a.m. The ride was 14 miles, or 22 kilometers, a significant figure as it represents the number of people killed and injured in the attack.
A Remembrance Ceremony was held at 8 a.m. at the LiveStream Blood Bank, located at 384 W. Orange Show Rd.
Later in the morning, a memorial service took place at the Inland Regional Center that included a moment of silence for the victims.
In the afternoon, the dedication of a Peace Garden at the Cal State San Bernardino campus to honor the victims and survivors started at 3:30 p.m.
The garden was planted in memory of the five alums — Adams, Espinosza, Johnson, Velasco and Wetzel — who were among those killed in the mass shooting, according to a news release on the university’s website.
Fourteen people were killed and 22 others injured when Syed Rizwan Farook, along with his wife Tashfeen Malik, opened fire in the conference room of the Inland Regional Center, where Farook’s work colleagues from the San Bernardino County Department of Health had been gathered for a holiday party.
They couple fled the scene in an SUV and were fatally shot later that day after leading police on a chase that ended in a gunbattle in a residential area about 2 miles away from where the massacre took place.
Investigators later discovered Farook and Malik sympathized with ISIS, were inspired by extremist ideology and had talked about jihad.
