The Attack: What Happened
The chain of events started about two hours before the shooting when the mother of one of the suspects called police to report her son had taken several of her firearms and her vehicle from home. She said he had a friend, and both young men were in camouflage. The attack happened while police were investigating the potential suicidal teenager situation. Officers responded to the Islamic Center of San Diego at 11:43 a.m. local time and found three victims with gunshot wounds outside the front of the building. No officers discharged their firearms in the incident.
Security Guard Called Hero
One of the three men who died in the attack was a security guard working at the Islamic Center who, authorities say, was instrumental in preventing the attack from causing far greater loss of life. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl called the guard's actions heroic at a news conference, saying he definitely saved lives.
He was a father of eight, according to a person who knew him. The names of the three victims have not yet been officially released, but the sacrifice of the security guard has been widely recognized as an act of extraordinary courage in the face of a deadly and unprovoked attack.
Second Shooting Leaves Suspects Dead
Within hours of the mosque attack, police were called to reports of a second shooting in the area where the suspects had fired at a landscaper working in the area from their vehicle. Police said the landscaper was not injured, but a bullet may have ricocheted off his hard hat, though that had not been officially confirmed at the time of the report. When officers arrived at the second scene, they found both suspects inside the vehicle dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
The incident was brief, and there were no additional casualties, but investigators were left to try to reconstruct the motives and movements of the attackers from the clues they had left behind.
Suspect's Possessions Contain Hate Rhetoric
While a motive for the attack has not been formally established, investigators have said it is being treated as a presumed hate crime based on two key factors: the deliberate targeting of the Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in San Diego County, and writings attributed to one of the suspects.
One of the teens left a note that police described as containing generalized hate rhetoric and hate speech, but no specific threat to the mosque or any other location or person. The FBI is asking the public to share any information that could help with the ongoing investigation.
Shock in the Community Before Eid al-Adha
The attack happened at a very painful time for the Muslim community, days before Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, one of the holiest and most celebrated occasions in the Islamic calendar. The Islamic Center of San Diego also houses the Al Rashid School, which provides children with religious and language instruction, and aerial footage from the scene showed young students being led hand-in-hand through the car park as police responded to the emergency.
Nearby schools were placed on lockdown as a precaution. Imam Taha Hassane, director of the Islamic Center, condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms at a news conference, saying it is extremely outrageous to target a place of worship and that the facility is a house of worship, not a battlefield.
Statements from State and Federal Leaders
California Governor Gavin Newsom released a statement saying he was horrified by the attack, which he said happened at a place that is a gathering spot for families and children and a place where neighbors worship in peace. The state would not tolerate acts of terror or intimidation against communities of faith, he said. "It's a terrible situation," President Donald Trump said when asked about the shooting during an unrelated White House event, saying he had received early updates and would look into the matter further.
A witness who lives near the scene told local media he heard what he thought was approximately 30 shots fired from a semi-automatic weapon, adding he heard two bursts of fire before calling emergency services, and police arrived five to ten minutes later.
