A hate crime investigation was continuing Tuesday into the deadly shooting at a Clairemont Mesa mosque, while local Muslim leaders honored the victims of the rampage, including a security guard at the facility being hailed as a hero.
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. 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.
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.
Police said 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," according to an SDPD statement. "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.
The shooting was being investigated as a possible hate crime, with various reports suggesting anti-Ismamic messages were found on one of the weapons used in the shooting and possibly in the vehicle where the suspects were found.
On Tuesday morning, San Diego-area Muslim leaders, including those from the Islamic Center of San Diego, identified the victims of the shooting as Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad. Abdullah was the security guard at the facility who was being hailed as a hero for saving lives during the shooting.
Abdullah "risked his own life to alert the school and other individuals inside regarding the active shooter," Muslim leaders said in a statement released through the Council on American Islamic Relations.
Mosque officials hailed the security guard on social media, calling him a "beloved security guard, who gave his life protecting the children and community members of our masjid," and "a courageous man who put himself on the line for the safety of others, who even in his last moments did not stop protecting our community."
According to media reports, Abdullah was a father of eight. An online fundraising drive to support his family had raised nearly $2 million as of Tuesday morning.
According to CAIR, Kaziha "was a community leader who managed the mosque store for nearly 40 years and was a loving husband, father and grandfather," while Awad "turned away community members from the bullets and saved lives."
Muslim leaders plan to hold an afternoon news conference to honor the victims.
The Islamic Center established an online fundraiser to support victims and families impacted by the shooting. It had raised more than $440,000 as of Tuesday morning.
On Monday afternoon, San Diego 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.
CAIR-San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam decried the deadly gun rampage.
"We strongly condemn this horrifying act of violence at the Islamic Center of San Diego," 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."
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday 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."
