Slain mosque security guard had warned teachers to lock doors, imam says

"The security guard was killed first, he said. But before he died, the man used his radio to warn the teachers at the school to lock the classroom doors. At the time, there were 200 children inside, he said. "By doing this saved he saved so many, many, many souls," Hassane said."

"Imam Taha Hassane did not name the victims but described them as important members of the community. The storekeeper had worked at the mosque for 40 years, he said, and the friend was a neighbor who lived across the street. When the attack unfolded, Hassane said he and his wife were hiding in their apartment upstairs and didn't see the shooters. But he could hear gunshots."

"Authorities are working to piece together details of the shooting that is being treated as a hate crime, but they have not confirmed the names of the victims or suspects involved. In addition to the three men found dead outside the mosque, two male suspects, ages 17 and 18, were found in a car in the middle of the street a few blocks away, dead from what appeared to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds, authorities said Monday."

"Two hours before the first call about an active shooter, police said they received a call from the mother of a runaway juvenile who believed her son was suicidal. She said her vehicle and several of her weapons were missing and her son was with a companion dressed in camouflage. The information sparked a search using license plate recognition technology, which was underway when the first report of an active shooter at the mosque came in, police said."

Three men were killed in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego: a shopkeeper, his friend, and a security guard. The center’s director said the security guard was killed first and, before dying, used a radio to warn teachers to lock classroom doors. The director said about 200 children were inside at the time and that the warning likely saved many lives. The director described the shopkeeper as having worked at the mosque for 40 years and the friend as a neighbor across the street. Authorities treated the incident as a hate crime and were working to confirm details. Two male suspects, ages 17 and 18, were found dead in a car a few blocks away from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

Read at The Washington Post