San Bernardino Shooters' Neighbor And Friend Could Face Gun Charges

More than two weeks after the deadly San Bernardino massacre, federal investigators could file the first charges in the case on Thursday against a friend and neighbor of the shooters.

USA Today informs that Enrique Marquez could be charged though crimes remained unspecified. The 24-year-old owns the rifles that the husband-wife killer duo Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik used to kill 14 people at Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino on December 2. During his interrogation, Marquez reportedly informed investigators that he and Farook had planned an attack in 2012 but he spooked out of it.

According to NBC News, Marquez and Farook decided against the attack following terror related arrests in California. The investigators have however not found any connection between arrests made in 2012 and San Bernardino shootings.

Marquez had posted a cryptic social media message in the aftermath of the shootings that left his friends wondering if he turned suicidal. Investigators later found him at mental health facility. A senior FBI official earlier refused to publicly discuss Marquez, who is said to have provided investigators information about his time with the Farooks.

According to The Washington Post, neighbors believe Farook used Marquez to avoid background checks when buying weapons. Investigators also believe that the regional center was the intended target of the shooters as they fired only 65 to 75 rounds during the attack that lasted four minutes. The couple had around 1,600 rounds of ammo in their SUV and had weapons including bombs stacked at their Redlands home.