Two teenagers rushed the Islamic Center of San Diego with handguns and rifles, authorities said, launching an attack that killed a security guard who died shielding the school housed at the mosque from the gunfire.
The 17 and 18-year-old shooters were found dead from self-inflicted wounds near the masjid after police responded to the scene. A security guard positioned at the facility opened fire on one of the attackers and struck him, but the shooter continued advancing before fatally wounding the guard. Imam Taha Hassane credited the guard's actions with preventing far worse casualties. "If it was not for him, the carnage would be much worse," Hassane said. "He sacrificed his life."
Two other victims were killed while on phone calls to police, according to a witness account shared on the Islamic Center's Instagram. The guard's warning to school administrators triggered a lockdown that likely saved lives, Hassane said. "The lives of the kids were saved. The lives of everyone in the school were saved, and we're so grateful for that."
Investigators uncovered a manifesto expressing broad hatred toward multiple races and religions, the FBI said. Mark Remily, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Diego office, revealed that the two met and became radicalized online. "These subjects did not discriminate on who they hated," Remily said, noting that writings found in the investigation outlined religious and racial ideologies guiding their worldview.
Searches of two residences yielded 30 firearms, a crossbow, tactical gear, ammunition, and electronics. The guns used in the shooting were registered to one of the assailants' parents, though exactly how the teenagers obtained them remains under investigation. Remily said it's too early to determine if the Islamic Center was the sole intended target or one of several.
Hours before the shooting, the mother of the 17-year-old called police to report her son was suicidal and possibly armed. Officers were searching the neighborhood near the mosque when the gunfire erupted. The older shooter had been enrolled in a virtual learning academy within San Diego Unified School District and was set to graduate this year.
Five public schools near the Islamic Center went into lockdown during the attack. The center practices active-shooter drills multiple times annually, with Hassane crediting that preparedness for the quick response. The FBI opened a tip line and continues seeking information about the shooters' motives and background.
Author James Rodriguez: "A security guard's final act of resistance bought precious minutes for children and staff to shelter safely, turning what could have been an even deadlier tragedy into a grim reminder of why preparedness matters."
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