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Three people were killed and two teenage gunmen were found dead in a car from self-inflicted gunshot wounds Monday after an attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego, a shooting that drew a massive law enforcement response, triggered school lockdowns, and shook a densely populated residential neighborhood roughly nine miles north of downtown.
Officers arrived on scene within four minutes of the first calls, just before noon local time, to find three victims already dead outside the mosque at 7050 Eckstrom Avenue, south of Balboa Avenue near Interstate 805. Police later located the two suspects, aged 17 and 19, dead inside a vehicle in the middle of a nearby street. Within roughly 90 minutes of the initial reports, authorities declared the threat neutralized.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl told reporters that officers immediately launched an active shooter response upon arriving at the scene. "We received a call of an active shooter at the Islamic center. Within four minutes, officers arrived on scene and observed immediately three deceased victims out in front," he said, adding that teams then moved into the mosque and an adjacent school. Police also received reports of additional gunfire nearby, where a landscaper at work in the area had been shot at but not struck.
The suspects were found shortly after in a vehicle stopped in the street. "The suspects at this point appear to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
There were no officers involved in firing their weapons," Wahl said. Police confirmed that one of the three victims was a security guard at the Islamic center; the identities of the other two fatalities were not immediately released.
Helicopter footage broadcast by local television stations showed armed response teams surrounding the building, with one unidentified person visible on the ground. Dozens of patrol cars were lined up around the complex, which the center describes on its website as the largest mosque in San Diego County.
The imam at the Islamic Center of San Diego, Taha Hassane, confirmed that all staff, teachers and children at the mosque had survived. Speaking to reporters, he called the attack an affront to a sacred space.
"We have never experienced tragedy like this before. And at this moment all that I can say is, sending our prayers and standing in solidarity with all the families in our community here," he said. "It is extremely outrageous to target a place of worship," he added.
Residents in surrounding blocks were advised to shelter in place during the response. Northbound and southbound on-ramps to Interstate 805 at Balboa Avenue were closed, snarling traffic across the neighborhood, and several nearby schools were temporarily placed on lockdown.
President Donald Trump called the attack "a terrible situation" when asked by reporters, saying he had received early briefings and would be examining the matter further. "At the mosque, they're giving a briefing. It's a terrible situation. I've been given some early updates but we're going to be going back and looking at it very strongly," he said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom was briefed on the attack, with his office coordinating through the Governor's Office of Emergency Services. His office expressed gratitude to first responders and urged the public to follow guidance from local authorities. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria also said he had been in contact with law enforcement throughout the incident.
No motive had been publicly established as of Monday afternoon. The Islamic Center of San Diego, one of the oldest and largest Muslim community institutions in California, is located in the Clairemont Mesa neighborhood. Attacks on houses of worship have drawn increased federal attention in recent years as law enforcement agencies work to address threats targeting religious institutions across the country.
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