Two teenagers allegedly carried out a deadly attack outside the Islamic Centre of San Diego, killing three men in what authorities are treating as a suspected hate crime. The suspects, reported to be 17 and 18 years old, were later found dead in a vehicle several blocks from the mosque; officials say they took their own lives after the shooting.
Police discovered the three victims with gunshot wounds outside the front of the centre. Among the dead was a security guard who, officials said, played a pivotal role in preventing the attack from becoming worse. CBS reported the guard was the father of eight.
About two hours before the shooting, the mother of one of the suspects called police to report that her son had left home with several of her guns and her car. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said officers found the suspect’s behavior before the incident “not consistent” with someone considered suicidal.
A note left by one of the youths contained what Wahl described as “generalised hate rhetoric and hate speech,” but he said it did not include a specific threat against the mosque or any individual or location.
While officers were responding to the mosque shooting, additional calls reported another shooting nearby. Wahl said the suspects fired from their car at a landscaper.
Classes were under way at Al Rashid School on the mosque campus when the attack occurred; nearby schools were placed on lockdown. A witness told CBS they heard as many as 30 rounds, which sounded like they came from a semi-automatic weapon.
The attack comes as the local Muslim community prepares for one of its holiest observances, Eid al-Adha.