At 11am, less than 30 minutes after Farook had left the centre, he was back. The couple walked through the doors and took what witnesses described as “a stance”: she stood on the right of the door to the conference room, he was on the left as they pointed their long rifles at his astonished co-workers.
Farook appeared to hesitate, perhaps momentarily losing his nerve or maybe to seek out a specific victim, such as Thalasinos, with whom he had argued over whether Islam could call itself a peaceful religion.
It was Malik who pulled the trigger first, aiming semi- automatic fire at people gathered around a Christmas tree, knocking it sideways. There was bedlam as people were shot and fell. Others screamed and cried as they sought cover.
Middle managers, who had been examining ways of helping autistic and other disabled children and their families, dived under tables covered with festive decorations. That is where many of them died.
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