Three men were killed after two teenage gunmen opened fire outside a mosque in San Diego, California, in what authorities believe may have been a hate-motivated attack.
According to police, the shooting occurred on Monday morning at the Islamic Center of San Diego while officers were already investigating a separate report involving a possibly suicidal teenager who had fled home with firearms.
San Diego police were first alerted to gunfire at the mosque and discovered three victims suffering from gunshot wounds outside the building. All three later died from their injuries.
Shortly after the attack, police received another report of shots being fired from a moving vehicle at a landscaper nearby. The worker survived the incident, although investigators believe a bullet may have struck or deflected off his hard hat.
Officers later located the suspects — aged 17 and 18 — dead inside a vehicle several blocks away from the mosque. Authorities said both teenagers appeared to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said one of the victims was a security guard at the mosque who was credited with helping prevent the situation from becoming even more deadly.
“It’s fair to say his actions were heroic. Undoubtedly he saved lives today,” Wahl said during a press conference.
The identities of the victims have not yet been publicly released. However, local reports stated that the slain security guard was a father of eight children.
Investigators said the motive remains under investigation but the case is currently being treated as a suspected hate crime due to the targeted location and writings allegedly linked to one of the suspects containing hate rhetoric.
Police revealed that around two hours before the shooting, the mother of one of the suspects contacted authorities after discovering her son had left home with several of her firearms and her vehicle.
According to police, the teenager had also left behind a note containing what officials described as “generalised hate speech”, although no direct threat towards the mosque or any individual was specifically mentioned.
At the time of the shooting, officers were reportedly only a few blocks away from the mosque while responding to the earlier call involving the suspect’s mother.
Authorities said children were present on the mosque grounds during the incident as the Islamic centre also houses the Al Rashid School, which offers religious and language classes.
Video footage from the scene showed children being escorted out of the compound while nearby schools were temporarily placed under lockdown as police carried out active shooter protocols.
Imam Taha Hassane condemned the attack, calling it “extremely outrageous” to target a place of worship.
“This is a house of worship, not a battlefield,” he said.
The attack comes just days before Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s holiest celebrations.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said he was “horrified” by the violence, stressing that acts of terror and intimidation against faith communities would not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump described the incident as a “terrible situation” and said authorities were closely reviewing developments surrounding the case.
