Two teenage gunmen opened fire at a mosque in San Diego May 18, killing three men before fleeing the scene and dying of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds a few blocks away, police said.
According to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, officers responded to reports of an active shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego around 11:43 a.m. and arrived within about four minutes. Three adult men were found dead outside the building, including a security guard whom authorities credited with playing a pivotal role in limiting the attack, according to FOX 5 San Diego.
The Islamic Center of San Diego, which includes a school and is the largest mosque in San Diego County, was in session at the time. All children and staff inside were safely evacuated with no injuries reported among worshippers or students, police said.
The attackers shot at a landscaper working nearby but the worker was not seriously injured, according to authorities.
The two suspects, believed to be 17 and 18 or 19 years old, were found dead in a vehicle several blocks away, Wahl said at a press conference. No officers fired shots, and the threat was declared neutralized by early afternoon.
One suspect’s mother had called police earlier that morning to report her son missing and suicidal, saying he had taken her car and several firearms and was with a companion dressed in camouflage, according to The New York Times.
The attack is being investigated as a hate crime, Wahl said, citing the location and evidence of “hate rhetoric” and anti-Islamic writings found in the suspects’ vehicle.
“Because of the Islamic Center location, we are considering this a hate crime until it’s not,” he told reporters. A note reportedly written by one of the attackers was also recovered, though full details have not been released at time of publication.
The FBI is assisting with the investigation. The names of the victims and of the perpetrators have not been publicly released.
Mayor Todd Gloria and other officials condemned the violence and said extra patrols were being added at houses of worship.
The Islamic Center described the shooting as an “extremely painful and traumatic day for our congregation, students, staff, and the broader San Diego community,” and temporarily closed until further notice.