Highness of Abyssinia,Los AngelesAnd
Max Matza
Two teenage attackers shot and killed three men at a mosque in San Diego, California, in an alleged hate crime before killing themselves, police said.
The shooting happened Monday morning, two hours after the mother of one of the suspects called police to say her son had run off with a friend and was possibly suicidal.
Police were already searching for the two men when the attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego began and found three victims with gunshot wounds outside the front of the building.
Shortly after, they received another call that shots had been fired nearby from a vehicle at a landscaper. Officers found the suspects – ages 17 and 18 – dead from self-inflicted injuries in a vehicle a few blocks from the mosque.
Among the deceased victims was a security guard who worked at the center and “played a central role” in preventing the attack from being “much worse,” officials said.
“It’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said at a news conference. “He definitely saved lives today.”
Authorities have not yet identified the three victims by name. But the security guard was a father of eight, a person who knew him told the BBC’s US partner CBS.
Investigators said the motive for the attack was unknown, but it was likely a hate crime because of the mosque, which is the largest in San Diego County, and writings attributed to one of the suspects.
Police were first called to the mosque at 11:43 a.m. local time (18:43 GMT) and “observed what appeared to be three deceased victims in front”, Wahl said.
“No officers were involved in the shooting,” Wahl said, and there was no sign of a shooter.
About two hours before the attack, the mother of one of the suspects called police to report that her son had left the house with several of his guns and his car.
The woman said he left with a companion and both were dressed in camouflage.
Wahl said police felt the suspect’s behavior was “not consistent” with someone considered suicidal.
A note left by the youth also included “widespread hate rhetoric and hate speech,” he said.
Wahl added that the note did not contain any specific threats against the mosque, or any other place or individual.
Investigators visited a local high school, where one of the teens was a student, as well as a shopping center where the car was found.
When the shooting occurred, the officers were still talking to the mother and were only a few blocks from the mosque.
These officers, after finding the three victims outside the building, rushed inside and began following active shooter protocols.
As they cleared the rooms, more reports came in of another shooting nearby.
The suspects opened fire from their car on a landscaper, who was not injured, police said.
Wahl said a bullet could have deflected from the landscaper’s helmet, although that has not yet been confirmed.
When police arrived at the scene, a few blocks from the mosque, they discovered the bodies of the two suspects.
The children were in class when the incident took place on Monday. The Islamic Center campus is home to Al Rashid School, which offers religion and language courses.
Aerial video from the scene Monday showed children holding hands and being escorted into a parking lot at the center as police responded.
Neighboring schools were also closed.
The FBI is appealing to the public for any information that could help the investigation.
A witness interviewed by CBS said he heard up to 30 gunshots coming from what sounded like “a semi-automatic weapon.”
He said he first heard about a dozen gunshots, then a pause, then maybe another dozen gunshots.
The man, who is retired and was eating lunch at home, said he called 911 and police arrived in “five to 10 minutes.”
Imam Taha Hassane, director of the Islamic Center of San Diego, said at a press conference: “It is extremely scandalous to target a place of worship.”
The establishment “is a place of worship, not a battlefield,” he added.
The Muslim community is currently preparing for one of its holiest seasons and greatest holidays.
It is a few days before Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, which commemorates the obedience of the Prophet Ibrahim.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement that he was “horrified by today’s violent attack” on the center, “where families and children gather and neighbors pray in peace and camaraderie.”
The state “will not tolerate acts of terror or intimidation against religious communities,” Newsom added.
Asked about the shooting on Monday, US President Donald Trump described the situation as “terrible”.
“I’ve received some early updates, but we’re going to go back and think about it very carefully,” he said at an unrelated White House event.