The san diego shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego left five people dead after two teenage gunmen attacked the mosque and then died in a nearby vehicle, police said.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said the episode began when a mother called officers to report her 17 year old son missing with her guns and car, and that she believed he was suicidal.
Wahl said the mother also reported the teens were wearing camouflage and that one left a note, details that elevated the threat assessment as officers worked to locate the vehicle and the youths.
Police used automated license plate readers and tracked the car to the Fashion Valley area, and officers were dispatched to a nearby mall and to Madison High School because one teen was associated with that campus, Wahl said.
An active shooter call at the Islamic Center came in later, and Wahl said officers arrived within four minutes, finding three men dead outside the center, including a security guard named by a community member as Amin Abdullah.
More calls followed of shots fired a few blocks away and of a landscaper who said he had been shot at but was unharmed, Wahl said, noting the landscaper’s helmet may have deflected a bullet.
Officers then found a BMW stopped on Hatton Street with two bodies inside, the missing 17 year old and an 18 year old companion, dead of apparent self inflicted gunshot wounds, police said.
Official Response And Community Reaction
Wahl said investigators were treating the rampage as a hate crime while they reviewed video and served search warrants, adding investigators noted “generalized hate rhetoric” though he gave few details.
Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily of the FBI’s San Diego field office said FBI bomb technicians cleared the vehicle associated with the subjects and the agency asked the public to submit photos or evidence online.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom said they were “horrified” and that “California stands with you,” thanking first responders for acting to protect children and worshippers, according to their statement.
The national Council on American Islamic Relations strongly condemned the attack, and Tazheen Nizam of San Diego CAIR said the group was supporting affected community members and noted the center was busy though not in a prayer time.
Community members reacted with grief and alarm. Sarah Youssef, who grew up at the mosque, praised Abdullah’s role in keeping people safe, and neighbor Marne Celaya said the younger teen had seemed like a nice kid.
Local activist Yusef Miller pointed to prior attacks on mosques and said the incident renewed fears about safety, and Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein called the shooting a horrible deja vu while urging protection for places of worship.
