Police were searching for up to three suspects Wednesday in connection with a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, where as many as 20 people were wounded.
At least one of the suspects was believed to be wearing tactical gear, the NBC affiliate KNBC reported.
Firefighters set up a triage area near the Inland Regional Center on the South Waterman Avenue, where they were treating the wounded on the street and loading others into waiting ambulances for treatment at nearby Loma Linda Medical Center.
Some were transported in the back of pickup trucks.
A KNBC reporter said he saw at least "three bodies on the ground."
Meanwhile, dozens of SWAT team officers were massing outside the facility while police were evacuating nearby buildings and marching the occupants out of harm's way to a nearby golf course.
The FBI and federal ATF agents were also heading to the scene, officials said. So was the bomb squad.
President Obama was briefed by Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco and asked to be updated as the situation develops, a White House official said.
"Absolutely heartbreaking," California Sen. Dianne Feinstein tweeted.
The first shots were fired at the center around 11 a.m. local time (2 p.m. ET), said Lt. Richard Lawhead of the San Bernardino police.
"There's plenty of police activity," Jim, a sales person at the nearby Structural Material Company who did not give his full name, told NBC News. "A lady ran into our bathroom and said somebody was shooting there."
Jim said police told him and the staff — about 10 to 12 people — to stay inside the building, which is about 200 to 300 yards from the Regional Center, a state-run center for people with developmental disabilities.
The mayhem in California came just days after a gunman barged into a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs, Colo., killing three people during a five hour siege.
Democrat Hillary Clinton was the first of the presidential candidates to weigh in on the unfolding tragedy.
"I refuse to accept this as normal," she tweeted. "We must take action to stop gun violence now."
She was followed by Democratic rival Martin O'Malley and Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Jeb Bush.
"California shooting looks very bad," Trump tweeted. "Good luck to law enforcement and God bless. This is when our police are so appreciated
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