Police: San Bernardino gunman had threatened his wife before attack

SAN BERNARDINO — A gunman who shot and killed his estranged wife, a student and himself at a San Bernardino elementary school Monday had made threats against the woman before but she didn’t take them seriously, according to police.

San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said at a news conference Tuesday that special education instructor Karen Smith had been concerned about her husband Cedric Anderson’s behavior just prior to the shooting at North Park Elementary School.

Smith and Anderson had been married for just two months when she moved out of her house in Riverside, spurred by his accusations that she had been unfaithful to him, Burguan said.

Smith, 53, spent the next month staying with her adult children in Moreno Valley and Riverside, as Anderson contacted her repeatedly trying to persuade her to come home, Burguan said.

“She had mentioned that his behavior was odd and that she was concerned about his behavior and that he had made some threats towards her,” the chief said.

Anderson had threatened his wife multiple times but did not specifically say he would shoot her, Burguan said.

Smith resisted moving back in with Anderson, but “didn’t necessarily take those threats serious,” Burguan said. “She thought he was reaching out for attention.”

Anderson fired 10 shots with a Smith & Wesson .357 magnum revolver inside a North Park classroom, stopping once to reload, Burguan said. The rounds struck his wife and two children next to her, before Anderson turned the weapon on himself. Only one of the children survived.