A deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego left three people dead, including a security guard hailed as a hero by police, after two teenage gunmen opened fire at the mosque before later dying by suicide inside a vehicle, authorities said Monday.
The attack, now being investigated as a possible hate crime, sent shockwaves through San Diego and drew rare bipartisan condemnation from political leaders including Donald Trump and Gavin Newsom, as officials warned of rising religious intolerance and violence targeting places of worship across the United States.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said one of the victims, a security guard working at the mosque, "played a pivotal role" in stopping what authorities believe could have become a far larger massacre.
"It's fair to say his actions were heroic," Wahl said during a press conference. "Undoubtedly he saved lives today."
Investigators have not yet publicly detailed exactly how the guard intervened during the shooting, though officials repeatedly emphasized that his actions prevented additional casualties inside the Islamic center, where families and children were present during the attack.
Authorities said the two teenage suspects fled after the shooting and were later found dead inside a car from what investigators believe were self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Police have not publicly released the identities or ages of the suspects pending notification of relatives and further investigation.
The shooting immediately prompted a major law-enforcement response around the mosque and surrounding neighborhoods as officers worked to secure the area and determine whether additional suspects remained at large.
By Monday afternoon, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said the immediate threat had been contained.
"The threat currently has been addressed, children are safe and that is a good thing," Gloria said at a press conference.
"Obviously, we've had the loss of life here at the Islamic Center of San Diego, and to our local Muslim community, my prayers are with you," he added.
Gloria delivered some of the strongest language condemning the attack, directly addressing fears of anti-Muslim violence.
"Hate has no home in San Diego. Islamophobia has no home in San Diego. An attack on any San Diegan is an attack on all San Diegans, and we will not stand for it in America's finest city," he said.
Religious leaders at the mosque described scenes of fear and devastation as worshippers attempted to process the violence inside what they repeatedly called a sacred space.
Taha Hassane, imam and director of the Islamic Center of San Diego, said the community had "never experienced a tragedy like this before."
"At this moment, all what I can say is sending our prayers and standing in solidarity with all the families in our community here and also the other mosques and all the places of worship in our beautiful city should always be protected," Hassane said. "It is extremely outrageous to target a place of worship."
Hassane urged the public to allow grieving families privacy while warning about what he described as an increasingly toxic climate surrounding religion and identity in America.
"Please let the families mourn, let them pray, as we do always at the Islamic Center of San Diego. It is a house of worship. It's not a battlefield," he said.
"The religious intolerance and the hate, unfortunately, that exists in our nation is unprecedented," Hassane continued. "All of us, we are responsible for spreading the culture of tolerance, the culture of love."
The political response was swift. Newsom said California law enforcement agencies were coordinating closely following the shooting.
"California sends our deepest condolences to the families and communities impacted by today's shooting," Newsom said, according to The Guardian.
"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," he added.
Trump also addressed the shooting during an unrelated White House event after being briefed on the attack.
"It's a terrible situation," Trump said. "I've been given some early updates but we're going to be going back and looking at it very strongly."
