Three people were killed on Monday in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego and two teenage suspects were later found dead a few blocks away, authorities said. The adult male victims were found outside the mosque — the largest in San Diego County, in the city's Clairemont neighborhood, said San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl. The suspects, 17 and 19, were discovered in a vehicle nearby in what police believe were self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Officers responded to the 7000 block of Eckstrom Avenue at around 11:40 a.m. local time and arrived within four minutes, Wahl said. They encountered three bodies outside the Islamic Center and immediately deployed an active-shooter response, breaching doors and clearing rooms inside the facility with between 50 and 100 officers. No officers discharged their weapons, Wahl said.
One of the victims was a security guard at the mosque who “played a pivotal role in assisting from this being much worse,” Wahl said. The Islamic Center has security cameras, and footage will be part of the investigation, he said.
While officers were responding to the mosque, gunfire was reported a few blocks away, where a landscaper was shot at but not hit. Police believe the same suspects were responsible.
The FBI is assisting in the investigation.
“As we work through this investigation, we ask for your patience to determine any motive and facts associated with the shooting,” said Mark Remily, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Diego field office.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said the threat had been addressed and pledged additional protection for religious institutions in the city. “To our local Muslim community, my prayers are with you,” Gloria said. “Hate has no place in the city of San Diego.”
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said police would be increasing deployments to local mosques in the city “out of an abundance of caution” after what he said was an “apparent act of anti-Muslim violence” in San Diego.
He added that there are no known threats to houses of worship in the city.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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