San Diego mosque shooting to be investigated as hate crime

Two teenagers carried out a shooting attack at a mosque in San Diego, killing three men and then themselves. Police said the incident was preceded by a call from the mother of one shooter to report that her son had taken her weapons and vehicle and that she feared he was suicidal. While police searched for the suspect, reports arrived of shots fired at the Islamic Center of San Diego about 15 kilometers from the city center. When officers arrived, additional shots were fired nearby. The shooters were later found dead in a vehicle with apparently self-inflicted gunwounds, and no officers fired their weapons. A security guard was killed, and his actions helped prevent more deaths. The center’s director said no students were harmed and expressed solidarity with affected families.

"Police said the shooting at the mosque was preceded by a call by the mother of one of the shooters to police in the morning saying that the boy had run away with her weapons and vehicle and that she feared he was suicidal. As police were searching for the boy, additionally alarmed by information that he was dressed in camouflage and had a companion, reports arrived of a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, some 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the city center."

"When police arrived, more shots were fired a few blocks away. The shooters were then found dead with apparently self-inflicted gunwounds in a vehicle stopped in the middle of a road nearby, according to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl. Wahl said no officers fired their weapons at the scene. Police stood guard as emergency workers attended the scene."

"Wahl said a security guard at the mosque was among the three people killed in the attack and that his response had helped prevent more deaths. "His actions were heroic and he undoubtedly saved lives today," Wahl said. The identities of the other two victims were not immediately clear."

"The Islamic center also houses a school, but its director, Imam Taha Hassane, said none of the students was harmed. "We have never experienced tragedy like this before," Hassane said. "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. Hassane said the center promoted interfaith"

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