Two gunmen, aged 17 and 18, opened fire on a mosque in downtown San Diego in Southern California on Monday, killing three people and then dying.
The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime, with police reporting the two suspects were involved in “generalized hate rhetoric”.
What happened in the attack?
Police said that the morning before the mosque shooting, the mother of one of the attackers had called police saying that the boy had fled with their weapons and vehicle and that they feared he was committing suicide.
While police were searching for the boy, and also alerted by the information that he was wearing camouflage clothing and had an accomplice, there were reports of shots fired at the Islamic Center of San Diego, about 15 kilometers (9 mi) from the city center.
When police arrived, more shots were fired a few blocks away.
According to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, the shooter was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in a vehicle stopped in the middle of a nearby road.
Wahl said no officers fired their weapons at the scene.
‘Veer’ security guard among victims
Wahl said a mosque security guard was among the three killed in the attack and that his response helped prevent more deaths.
“His actions were heroic and they undoubtedly saved lives today,” Wahl said.
The identity of the other two victims was not immediately clear.
The Islamic center also houses a school, but its director, Imam Taha Hassane, said no students were harmed.
“We have never experienced a tragedy like this before,” Hasne said.
“And all I can say at this time is that we are sending our prayers and standing in solidarity with all the families here in our community,” he said.
Hasne said the center promotes interfaith relations and a group of non-Muslims visited it on Monday to learn more about Islam.
hate crime investigation
Wahl told reporters that police are, at the moment, “actively investigating this as a hate crime,” adding that “there was definitely hate rhetoric involved.”
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor of a major US city, said the attack was “a clear act of anti-Muslim violence.”
“Islamophobia endangers Muslim communities across this country,” he posted on Twitter. He also said the New York Police were increasing deployment to mosques “out of an abundance of caution.”
US President Donald Trump said the shootings were a “terrible situation”.
State Governor Gavin Newsom also expressed disappointment over the attack.
“Worshippers everywhere should not fear for their lives,” he wrote on X.
“There is no place for hate in California, and we will not tolerate acts of terror or intimidation against communities of faith,” he said. He said, “To the San Diego Muslim community: California stands with you.”
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko