In Wake of Mass Shooting, Gov. Brown Cancels Tree Lighting Ceremony

In light of the mass shooting in Southern California where 14 were killed and another 17 wounded, Gov. Jerry Brown canceled the annual Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony slated for Wednesday evening.

At around 11 a.m., three masked, heavily armed men began shooting inside the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, a suburb about an hour east of Los Angeles. The center regulates group homes serving the developmentally disabled in the a mountainous desert region.

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The wounded were treated in a triage center nearby. The dead lay on the ground, some in surrounding streets, covered in blankets.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families and everyone affected by the brutal attack,” Brown said in a statement. “California will spare no effort in bringing these killers to justice.”

The governor also ordered flags at the capitol to be lowered to half-staff in honor of the victims and their families.

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As of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, the gunmen were still on the loose.

According to Mass Shooting Tracker, Wednesday’s shooting is the 355th mass shooting so far this year in the U.S. -- an average of one mass shooting a day.

Even though the ceremony was canceled, the tree will still be illuminated at 5 p.m., according to the governor’s office.

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--Patch editors Autumn Johnson & Renee Schiavone contributed to this report