A mosque security guard was killed trying to stop two teenage gunmen after they opened fire outside the largest Islamic center in San Diego County Monday afternoon in what authorities are investigating as a hate crime.
The chaotic attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego left three men dead before the two suspects, who were identified by federal authorities as teenagers ages 17 and 19, were later found dead inside a vehicle from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Police said officers rushed to the mosque around 11:30 a.m. after reports of an active shooter erupted near the Clairemont-area facility.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said officers arrived within four minutes and immediately encountered bodies outside the mosque.
“After they arrived, they saw three people dead outside,” Wahl said during a news conference.
The discovery triggered a massive active-shooter response. “They did have to breach doors to get into all of the different rooms,” Wahl explained. “There was somewhere between 50 to 100 police officers inside of that facility.”
Authorities said the mosque security guard was among those killed. Wahl credited the guard with helping prevent the massacre from becoming even worse.
The chief said the guard “played a pivotal role in assisting from this being much worse.”
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As officers stormed the mosque searching for gunmen, police also started receiving frantic reports of additional shots fired several blocks away.
“We began to receive calls from just a couple blocks away that we had more active gunfire,” Wahl detailed.
Officers responding to the second scene discovered a landscaper had been shot at but not struck.
Moments later, police located a vehicle abandoned in the middle of a nearby street. Inside were the two suspected shooters.
“[Officers] found a vehicle in the middle of the street with who we believe to be the shooters in this incident — both deceased,” Wahl told reporters.
FBI Special Agent Mark Remily later identified the suspects as teenagers. The pair were found dead inside the vehicle in the 3800 block of Hatton Street from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, authorities said.
“The FBI is meticulously assessing the situation and is prepared to employ every resource we have to uncover the facts of this incident,” Remily commented.
“No community should have to go through such a tragic incident, but we will work tirelessly until we learn the truth.”
Federal authorities quickly joined the investigation as heavily armed officers swarmed the neighborhood surrounding the mosque.
The Islamic Center of San Diego is the largest mosque in the county and houses the Al Rashid School, which offers Arabic language, Quran and Islamic studies classes for children.
Terrifying aerial footage from the scene showed young children being escorted out of the complex by adults as police vehicles surrounded the property.
At one point, more than a dozen children could be seen holding hands while being led away from the parking lot.
Wahl said investigators are treating the attack as a hate crime while detectives work to reconstruct what led up to the shooting.
“We are actively investigating the things that led up to this,” Wahl reported. “Obviously these things don’t typically just happen on a whim, and the information that we knew preceding it is what we’re actively looking into.”
“There’s going to be a tremendous amount of information and details that we’re going to try to sort and put this puzzle back together again,” he added.
Authorities said the mosque’s security cameras will likely become a major piece of evidence as investigators review the gunmen’s movements.
As the investigation unfolded, Imam Taha Hassane described the attack as completely unimaginable for a religious center focused heavily on interfaith outreach.
“It is extremely outrageous to target a place of worship,” the center’s director said. “Our Islamic center is a place of worship. People come to the Islamic center to pray, to celebrate, to learn.”
“Not only Muslims, but we have people from all walks of life,” he added.
Hassane revealed that just hours before the shooting, non-Muslim visitors had toured the mosque to learn about Islam and Muslim culture.
“Just this morning, earlier, a group of people, non-Muslims, came to learn about our faith and our cultures,” Hassane stated. “So this is something that we have never expected.”
The imam also thanked supporters who reached out from around the country and overseas following the attack.
At the same time, Hassane stressed that children, teachers and staff members from the mosque school escaped unharmed.
“The entire school is safe,” Hassane said. “All the kids, all the staff, and the teachers are safe, out of the Islamic Center. There is no threat at this moment.”
Hassane urged residents to stay away from the scene as the sprawling investigation continued.
“We want everyone to stay away from the Islamic Center of San Diego,” he noted. “We are closed for the rest of the day. Stay safe, stay at home, and make a lot of prayers.”
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria praised law enforcement for what he described as a rapid and highly coordinated response.
“I want to simply express my immense gratitude for our incredible law enforcement response that we saw here today,” Gloria said. “This is what we trained for. This is what we budget for.”
The mayor also addressed fears inside the Muslim community after the attack.
“I want to assure our Muslim community that we will do everything it takes to make sure that you can feel safe in this city,” Gloria remarked. “But to reassert, as I always will, it. Hate has no place in the city of San Diego.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office later confirmed the governor had been briefed on the shooting.
“We are grateful to the first responders on the scene working to protect the community and urge everyone to follow guidance from local authorities,” the governor’s office posted on X.
FBI Director Kash Patel also confirmed federal agents were assisting local investigators.
“All resources will be made available assisting local partners and we will update the public as we’re able,” Patel wrote on X.
President Donald Trump was later briefed on the shooting at the White House.
“They’re giving a briefing on it, at the mosque … and it’s a terrible situation,” Trump told reporters. “I’ve been given some early updates, but we’re going to be going back and looking at it very strongly.”
