San Diego, California — A shooting outside one of the region’s largest Islamic centers claimed the lives of three men on Monday, with law enforcement officials treating the incident as a suspected hate crime targeting the Muslim community.
According to authorities, two teenage gunmen opened fire shortly before noon outside the Islamic Center of San Diego, triggering an immediate and large-scale police response. The attack left worshippers and students inside the mosque complex in a state of panic. Officers arriving at the scene discovered three victims shot dead outside the building, one of whom was a security guard. Officials have credited the guard with potentially helping to limit further casualties during the assault.
A short time after the gunfire, investigators located the bodies of two teenage males, aged 17 and 19, inside a vehicle parked on a nearby street. Police believe the pair died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds following the attack on the mosque.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, citing information reported by Reuters, confirmed that all children attending the day school within the mosque complex were safely accounted for and unharmed. The Islamic Center of San Diego is the largest such facility in San Diego County.
The FBI has joined local authorities in the investigation. Officials continue to work on establishing the precise motive and reconstructing the sequence of events. At this stage, the shooting is being investigated as a suspected hate crime directed at the Muslim community.
In a separate development a few blocks from the mosque, shots were fired at a landscaper. The individual was not injured, and police have not yet determined whether this incident is connected to the attack at the Islamic center.
This tragic event has drawn widespread attention as investigators piece together details surrounding the violence. As the probe advances with support from federal authorities, the community and officials remain focused on understanding the full circumstances that led to the loss of five lives in total, including the two suspected gunmen.
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