The Dictatorship
At least 3 dead in shooting at Islamic Center of San Diego, police say threat ‘neutralized’
At least three people and two suspects are dead following a shooting Monday at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said at a press conference Monday afternoon that officers found three dead victims outside the center after responding to reports of an active shooter in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego.
Wahl said the two suspected shooters — identified as teenage boys ages 17 and 19 — also died from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
The victims include a security guard and two staff members from the Islamic school on the center’s grounds, Imam Taha Hassane, the mosque’s director, told MS NOW.
One of the gunmen also fired at a landscaper, who was not injured, according to Wahl.
“Because of the Islamic Center location, we are considering this a hate crime until it’s not,” Wahl said.
Nearby Sharp Memorial Hospital said it is receiving patients.
“Our disaster procedures have been activated and we are coordinating with the County of San Diego and other resources to respond to the incident,” a hospital spokesperson told MS NOW.
“We have never experienced a tragedy like this before. And at this moment all what I can say is we are sending our prayers and standing in solidarity with all the families in our community here,” Hassane told reporters after the shooting. “The other mosques and all the places of worship in our beautiful city should always be protected.”
Hassane called the targeting of a place of worship “extremely outrageous.”
The mosque, the largest in San Diego County, also houses the Al Rashid School, which teaches Arabic language and Islamic studies. All children present at the school are safe and officials established a reunification point for families.
“No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school,” the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group, said in a statement. “We are working to learn more about this incident and we encourage everyone to keep this community in your prayers.”
The FBI’s San Diego Field Office will assist local law enforcement with the investigation.
A White House official told MS NOW that President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting this afternoon.
President Donald Trump called the shooting at the mosque a “terrible situation” while speaking to reporters at a White House health care event Monday.
“I’ve been given some early updates, but we’re going to be going back and looking at it very strongly,” Trump said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.