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A shooting at an Islamic centre in San Diego, California, on Monday has left three people dead, while two suspected teenage gunmen were later found dead in a vehicle from what police believe were self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Authorities said emergency responders discovered three victims outside the Islamic Centre of San Diego shortly after reports of an active shooter. The suspects, aged 19 and 17, were later located dead inside a car a short distance away.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said investigators are treating the incident as a possible hate crime due to the presence of hostile rhetoric linked to the attack.
“We are actively investigating this as a hate crime,” Wahl told reporters.
“There was definitely hate rhetoric that was involved.”
He said officers arrived at the scene within minutes of the emergency call and immediately found three people already deceased outside the mosque complex.
“We received a call of an active shooter at the Islamic Center. Within four minutes, officers arrived on scene and observed immediately three deceased victims out in front,” Wahl said.
“We immediately began to deploy with an active shooter response into the mosque and adjacent school,” he said,
Police also moved into the mosque and an adjoining school as part of an active shooter response, after reports of additional gunfire in a nearby area where a landscaper was reportedly targeted but not injured.
Wahl said preliminary findings suggest the suspects died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, adding that no officers discharged their weapons during the incident.
“The suspects at this point appear to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. There were no officers involved in firing their weapons,”he said.
He also noted that a security guard at the Islamic centre was among those killed and may have helped prevent further casualties, describing his actions as “heroic” and life-saving.
The identity of the two other victims has not yet been confirmed.
Police said the mother of one of the suspects had contacted authorities about two hours before the attack, reporting that her son was suicidal and that firearms and a vehicle were missing.
The Islamic centre’s imam, Taha Hassane, said all staff, teachers, and children at the facility were safe following the attack, describing it as a deeply distressing incident and condemning violence at a place of worship.
“We have never experienced tragedy like this before. And at this moment all that I can say is, sending our prayers and standing in solidarity with all the families in our community here.
“It is extremely outrageous to target a place of worship,” the imam said.
US President Donald Trump called the shooting a “terrible situation,” adding that early reports were being reviewed.
Police Chief Wahl said investigators are treating the case as a hate crime at this stage pending further inquiry.
California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the attack, saying places of worship should remain safe spaces and reaffirming solidarity with the Muslim community in San Diego.
