Two teenage gunmen opened fire at a mosque in San Diego on Monday, killing three men before later taking their own lives, in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime.
According to police, the attackers — aged 17 and 18 — targeted the Islamic Center of San Diego. Authorities said there had been no specific prior threat against the mosque, but evidence suggests the suspects were influenced by “generalized hate rhetoric.”
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said more details about the motive would emerge as the investigation progresses.
Police had already been searching for one of the teens after his mother reported him missing and expressed concerns that he was suicidal. Authorities said weapons were missing from the home and the teen had taken his mother’s vehicle.
The search intensified when police learned the teen was armed, dressed in camouflage and accompanied by another individual.
Officers were tracking the suspects using available technology when reports of gunfire at the mosque came in. Police arrived within minutes, Wahl said.
Among the victims was a security guard at the mosque, whom police credited with preventing the attack from becoming more deadly.
“It’s fair to say his actions were heroic. Undoubtedly he saved lives,” Wahl told reporters.
Shortly after the mosque shooting, additional gunshots were reported a few blocks away. Police later found the two suspects dead inside a vehicle on a nearby road, in what appeared to be a suicide.
The mosque, the largest in the county, also houses the Al Rashid School, which provides Islamic and Arabic education for children.
Witness footage showed children being safely escorted out of the premises as police secured the area.
Imam Taha Hassane condemned the attack, calling it “extremely outrageous to target a place of worship.”
“All the places of worship in our beautiful city should always be protected,” he said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy groups in the U.S., condemned the shooting.
“No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school,” said CAIR-San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam in a statement. “We are working to learn more about this incident and we encourage everyone to keep this community in your prayers.”
Authorities said the investigation is ongoing, including efforts to determine the full motive behind the attack.