NextFin News - Three people were killed on Monday morning in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, an attack federal authorities are now investigating as a suspected hate crime. The incident unfolded at approximately 11:43 local time when two teenage suspects opened fire at the front of the mosque, claiming the lives of three individuals, including a security guard credited with preventing further casualties. The suspects, aged 17 and 18, were later found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds following a secondary shooting incident involving a local landscaper.
The tragedy began to take shape hours before the first shots were fired. At 9:42, the mother of one of the suspects contacted San Diego police to report that her son had fled their home with several firearms and a vehicle. According to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, the mother discovered a note left by the youth that contained generalized hate rhetoric and speech, though it lacked a specific threat against the mosque. Despite the early warning, the suspects managed to reach the Islamic Center, where children were attending the Al Rashid School on the same campus. Aerial footage captured the harrowing scene of students being led away by law enforcement as the building was cleared.
The FBI has joined the investigation, citing the location of the attack and the nature of the writings found at the suspect's home as primary reasons for the hate crime designation. While the motive remains under formal review, the timing is particularly sensitive for the local community. The shooting occurred just days before Eid al-Adha, one of the most significant holidays in the Islamic calendar. Imam Taha Hassane, director of the center, emphasized that the facility is a house of worship, not a battlefield, expressing outrage at the targeting of a peaceful religious gathering.
U.S. President Trump addressed the shooting during a White House event on Monday, describing the events in San Diego as a terrible situation and noting that his administration would be looking into the matter very strongly. California Governor Gavin Newsom also issued a statement condemning the violence, asserting that the state would not tolerate acts of terror or intimidation against communities of faith. The rapid escalation from a missing person report to a triple homicide has raised questions regarding the speed of police intervention, though Chief Wahl noted that officers were already in the vicinity speaking with the suspect's mother when the shooting began.
Witnesses reported hearing up to 30 rounds from what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon. One resident, who was eating lunch nearby, described a sequence of shots followed by a brief pause before a second volley. The suspects' rampage ended shortly after they fired upon a landscaper from their vehicle; the worker survived, possibly because a bullet was deflected by his hard hat. When police reached the vehicle, both teenagers were already deceased. The investigation now turns to the origin of the firearms and the radicalization of the two young men, as the San Diego community grapples with the aftermath of one of the city's deadliest targeted attacks in recent years.
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