A shooting rampage that began at a Clairemont Mesa mosque and ended on a city street about a half-mile away Monday claimed the lives of five people, including the pair of teenagers suspected of unleashing the possibly hate-motivated gun violence.
The gunfire at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the 7000 block of Eckstrom Avenue was reported at about 11:40 a.m. Monday, according to police. Officers arrived within four minutes to find three men, one of them an on-duty security guard, dead outside the mosque, San Diego Police Department Chief Scott Wahl said.
"This is every community's worst nightmare. ... Our hearts go out to the families that are in this moment being notified of what has happened to their loved ones," Wahl said during a mid-afternoon briefing.
A man who lives near the mosque told CBS8 that he heard two bursts of gunfire, possibly as many as 30 shots in all, sounding to him like high-caliber ammunition discharging.
The shooting led to a massive police deployment in the busy mid-city neighborhood, along with evacuations of the mosque and its educational facility for young children, road closures in the area and lockdowns at nearby public schools.
As those operations were getting underway, police received reports of another shooting in the area, this one on Salerno Street, just south of the Islamic center.
"There was a landscaper that was doing his work and was shot at, and fortunately was not hit," Wahl said.
Not long after the second shooting was reported, officers were called to yet another nearby location. There, in the 3800 block of Hatton Street, a vehicle was stopped in the roadway, and inside it were the bodies of the suspected perpetrators of the shooting spree — an 18-year-old man and 17-year- old boy. They are believed to have died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds, Wahl told news crews.
The case was being investigated as a suspected hate crime, the police chief noted. The names of the victims and suspects were withheld pending completion of family notification.
In the late afternoon, police reported that one of the suspects had been reported as a runaway about two hours before the mosque shooting occurred.
"SDPD pieced together bits of information from the juvenile's mother," a department statement asserted. "She believed her son was suicidal and shared information that several of her weapons were missing, along with her vehicle.
She also stated that he was with a companion, who was dressed in camouflage."
Via automated license-plate-reading camera technology, authorities learned that the woman's vehicle had been in Mission Valley, near Fashion Valley mall during the morning, but officers dispatched to that area did not locate the car or the suspects there.
During the news conference, Mayor Todd Gloria sought to "assure our Muslim community that we will do everything to make sure that you can feel safe in this city."
"And no resource will be spared in making sure that our religious institutions and locations are protected in this sensitive time," the mayor added.
A local leader of the Council on American-Islamic Relations decried the deadly gun rampage at the Eckstrom Avenue mosque.
"We strongly condemn this horrifying act of violence at the Islamic Center of San Diego," CAIR-San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam said.
"Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this attack. No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school. We are working to learn more about this incident, and we encourage everyone to keep this community in your prayers."
At midday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that his Office of Emergency Services was coordinating with local law enforcement on responses to the potential hate-crime shootings.
In a prepared statement, Newsom said he and his wife, Jennifer, were "horrified by today's violent attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego, where families and children gather, and neighbors worship in peace and fellowship.
"Today, this community space was shattered by gunfire," he stated. "California sends our deepest condolences to the families and communities impacted by today's shooting. Worshippers anywhere should not have to fear for their lives. Hate has no place in California, and we will not tolerate acts of terror or intimidation against communities of faith."
