Police: Two suspects kill 3 people at a San Diego mosque before killing themselves
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Two teenage suspects killed three men in a shooting at a San Diego mosque Monday before killing themselves a few blocks away, authorities said. Police Chief Scott Wahl said a security guard at the Islamic Center of San Diego was among those killed and that the case is being investigated as a hate crime.
The Islamic Center is the largest mosque in San Diego County, according to its website.
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That’s according to the center’s website.
Aerial TV footage showed more than a dozen children holding hands and being walked out of the parking lot of the center as it was surrounded by scores of police vehicles.
Parents were directed to a nearby area to retrieve their children.
The white mosque is in a neighborhood of homes, apartments and strip malls with Middle Eastern restaurants and markets.
“All of the kids are safe,” Wahl said, appearing emotional. “Our hearts go out to the families that are in this moment being notified of what has happened to their loved ones.”
Imam Taha Hassane also said at a news conference that “all the places of worship in our beautiful city should always be protected.”
Tazheen Nizam of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in San Diego says that “no one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school.”
Nizam says in a statement that CAIR is “working to learn more about this incident and we encourage everyone to keep this community in your prayers.”
That’s according to Chief Wahl.
Wahl says that as officers responded to the mosque, they also fielded reports of gunfire a few blocks away, where a landscaper was shot at but was uninjured.
He says the suspects were found dead in a vehicle stopped in the middle of a road nearby.
Imam Taha Hassane says it also works to build relations in the community.
He told a news conference that a group of non-Muslims had been touring the mosque earlier Monday to learn about the Muslim faith.
That’s according to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl.
Chief Scott Wahl says both suspects are believed to be teens and that the case is considered to be a hate crime.
“We are grateful to the first responders on the scene working to protect the community and urge everyone to follow guidance from local authorities,” his office posted on the social platform X.
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