Two teenage suspects and three adult victims were killed on Monday in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego that authorities are investigating as a hate crime, according to law enforcement officials.
San Diego police responded shortly before noon to reports of an active shooter at the mosque in the Clairemont neighborhood, near the 7000 block of Eckstrom Avenue. Callers reported multiple shots fired at the Islamic Center of San Diego, located about nine miles north of downtown.
Police Chief Scott Wahl said the suspects, identified as Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, were later found dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds inside a vehicle a few blocks away.
“This is every community’s worst nightmare,” Wahl said during a news conference, The Guardian reported.
Authorities said three adults were fatally shot during the attack. One of those killed was a security guard at the mosque whose actions officials said likely prevented additional deaths.
“I think it’s fair to say [the guard’s] actions were heroic, and undoubtedly he saved lives today,” Wahl said.
Officials said the security guard helped minimize the threat while officers responded. The Islamic Center identified the guard as Amin Abdullah, who was reportedly the father of eight children.
Before the shooting, police had already been searching for one of the suspects after his mother contacted authorities and reported that her son was suicidal, missing, and believed to have taken several firearms and her vehicle. Wahl said the mother also told police another teen accompanied her son and that both were dressed in camouflage.
Investigators used automated license plate readers and other technology while searching for the suspects. Officers had also alerted a nearby school, where at least one of the teens had reportedly been a student before receiving reports of gunfire at the mosque.
Police said a note was recovered at the scene containing what officials described as “generalized hate rhetoric.”
“There was definitely hate rhetoric that was involved,” officials said, per Fox 4 KDFW.
Authorities emphasized there had been no specific threat directed at the Islamic Center before the shooting. The FBI said it was assisting in the investigation and had established a public tip line.
The mosque also houses the Al Rashid School, which offers classes in Arabic language, Islamic studies, and the Quran. Officials confirmed no children or staff members at the school were injured. A reunification center for families was established nearby.
In a video posted to Facebook, the Islamic Center said its students and staff were safe.
Mayor Todd Gloria said the city was mourning alongside the Muslim community.
“Hate has no home in San Diego. Islamophobia has no home in San Diego,” Gloria said at a later news conference, per The Guardian. “An attack on any San Diegan is an attack on all San Diegans, and we will not stand for it in America’s finest city.”
Imam and Islamic Center director Taha Hassane called the shooting “extremely outrageous.”
“We have never experienced a tragedy like this before,” Hassane said, The Guardian reported. “It is a house of worship. It’s not a battlefield.”
“The religious intolerance and the hate, unfortunately, that exists in our nation is unprecedented,” he added. “All of us, we are responsible for spreading the culture of tolerance, the culture of love.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom said he had been briefed on the situation and that California emergency officials were coordinating with local law enforcement.
“Worshippers anywhere should not have to fear for their lives,” Newsom said, per The Guardian. “Hate has no place in California.”
President Donald Trump was also briefed on the attack and called it “a terrible situation.”
Police said the investigation remains ongoing.
Note of clarification: Official statements that “no children or staff members at the school were injured” and that “students and staff were safe” refer specifically to the teachers, staff, and students who were inside the Al Rashid School building during the attack. All of them were safely evacuated without injury. The three adult victims — security guard Amin Abdullah and two additional mosque/school staff members — were shot and killed outside the main school and mosque buildings in the initial moments of the attack. This distinction allowed the imam and authorities to accurately reassure the community that everyone inside with the children was unharmed, while the three men tragically lost their lives outdoors on the grounds.
