Three men were killed after two teenage gunmen opened fire outside the Islamic Center of San Diego in California on Monday, in what authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime. The suspects, aged 17 and 18, were later found dead inside a vehicle from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, according to San Diego police.
The shooting occurred around 11:40am local time outside the mosque complex, which also houses a day school. Police said that all children attending classes at the facility were safely evacuated and accounted for.
According to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, officers responded within minutes of receiving reports of an active shooter and found three victims with fatal gunshot wounds outside the building. Investigators later connected the attack to an earlier report filed by the mother of one of the suspects, who had contacted police roughly two hours before the shooting to report her son missing after he allegedly took several firearms and left home wearing camouflage with another teenager.
Authorities said that a note recovered during the investigation contained generalized hate rhetoric, though no direct threat toward the mosque had been identified beforehand.
The Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in San Diego County, became the focus of a massive law enforcement response, with dozens of officers securing the area and nearby schools temporarily placed under lockdown. Police also linked a second shooting incident involving a landscaper a few blocks away to the suspects. The landscaper survived without injuries.
Among the victims was a security guard at the mosque whom police credited with helping prevent greater casualties during the attack. “Undoubtedly he saved lives today,” Chief Wahl said during an evening press conference, describing the guard’s actions as heroic.
The incident comes amid growing security concerns among religious communities in the United States following months of heightened tensions connected to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Muslim institutions across the country have increasingly expanded security measures in response to fears of retaliatory violence and hate-driven attacks.
“This is a house of worship, not a battlefield,” said Imam Taha Hassane, director of the Islamic Center of San Diego. “We have never experienced a tragedy like this before.”
