SAN DIEGO, CA — A deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego left three victims and two teenage suspects dead Monday, prompting a massive law enforcement response and a hate crime investigation.
The gunfire was reported at 11:43 a.m. at the center at 7050 Eckstrom Ave. in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Officers arrived within four minutes and found three men dead outside the mosque, San Diego Police Department Chief Scott Wahl said. The suspects were later found nearby and appeared to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Here are five key things to know about the deadly shooting:
One of the victims is being remembered as a hero.
One of the victims in Monday's shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego is being remembered as a hero for his actions as the situation unfolded.
Police have not released the names of the victims, but San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said during a news conference Monday afternoon that one of the victims was an on-duty security guard.
"His actions were heroic," Wahl said. "Undoubtedly, he saved lives today."
The San Diego branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations identified the guard as Amin Abdullah, a well-known face at the mosque who had worked there for more than a decade.
"Amin Abdullah was the security guard who risked his own life to alert the school and other individuals inside regarding the active shooter," the organization said in a news release. "He is the definition of a hero who bravely made the ultimate sacrifice to save others over himself."
The organization launched an online fundraiser in support of Abdullah's family. As of Tuesday morning, more than $1.7 million had been raised.
The other two victims were also recognized for their heroism.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations identified the other two community members who were killed in the shooting as Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad.
Kaziha, known as Abu Ezz, was a community leader who managed the mosque's store for nearly four decades, according to CAIR. He was a husband, father and grandfather.
Awad also ushered people away from gunfire, CAIR said.
"These three protected children inside the center and school and there is no doubt that the casualties would have been much worse without their heroism," the San Diego muslim civil rights group said in a statement.
The gunmen were teenagers.
The suspects, believed to be 17 and 18 years old, were found dead inside a vehicle blocks away from the Islamic Center. Police said they believe they succumbed to self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Three law enforcement officials identified the suspects as Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, according to NBC News.
The manhunt began before the shooting after the mother of one of the suspect's called police.
The attack spanned several blocks and involved an intense citywide manhunt that began hours before the first shots were fired.
San Diego police got their first call at 9:42 a.m. from the mother of the juvenile suspect, who said her son had gone missing, along with several of her weapons and her vehicle. The mother believed her son was suicidal. She said he was with a friend and they were dressed in camouflage.
Police began investigating the threat, but without any specific knowledge of a target, Wahl said.
Authorities used Automated License Plate Recognition technology to try and find the suspects. Police received ALPR alerts that the vehicle was near Fashion Valley Mall and dispatched officers to the area.
It was also reported to police that one of the suspects was associated with Madison High School, about a mile from the center, so officers were dispatched to the area of the school.
It is now known that Clark was attending school virtually and was expected to graduate this month, NBC News reported. He never attended classes at Madison High School, but lived in the school's attendance zone and previously participated on the wrestling team.
The deadly shooting was being investigated as a hate crime.
The case was being investigated as a hate crime because of hate-related speech linked to the suspects.
"There was no specific threat to any facility or any place with what we knew," Wahl said. "There was generalized hate rhetoric and speech."
The Islamic Center is the largest mosque in San Diego County. The campus includes the Al Rashid School, which offers courses in Arabic language, Islamic studies and the Quran for students ages 5 and older, according to its website.
No children from the school or officers were injured in the shooting, police said.
"The Islamic Center is the largest religious gathering space for Muslims in San Diego since its founding nearly 40 years ago," CAIR said in a statement. "It is also home to a school and as a result of this horrific attack, hundreds of children are now traumatized, along with the community at large who fear for the safety of their families."
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