Three people were killed after two teenage gunmen opened fire Monday at the Islamic Center of San Diego in an attack authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime.
During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, law enforcement officials released additional details about the investigation into the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in San Diego County. Authorities said the two suspects later died by suicide after carrying out the attack.
Investigators reportedly discovered anti-Islamic writings inside the suspects’ vehicle, according to The New York Times. Authorities also revealed that the phrase “hate speech” had been written on one of the firearms recovered at the scene.
Police identified the suspects as teenagers, ages 17 and 18.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said one suspect’s mother contacted authorities hours before the shooting to report that her son had run away. During a Monday news conference, Wahl explained that the woman had also found a note, although he declined to discuss its contents publicly.
According to Wahl, the mother informed police that several weapons and her vehicle were missing. She also reported that her son had left home with another individual and that both were “dressed in camo.”
While officers searched for the missing teenagers, authorities later received reports of gunfire at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Police are treating the killings of the three victims as a hate crime investigation, The New York Times reported. Officers arriving at the mosque found the victims’ bodies outside the building.
One of the victims was a security guard who witnesses say was shot while attempting to protect the property. A woman living across the street told The New York Times that she saw the guard collapse after being struck by at least two bullets before managing to stand back up and reenter the building.
The security guard, who was credited with stopping the attackers from entering the school connected to the Islamic Center, was a father of eight children.
The other two victims were identified as Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad.
Kaziha, a father of five and grandfather, had served as the mosque’s caretaker for decades and operated a store at the mosque for approximately 40 years.
Awad’s wife, a teacher at the Islamic school attached to the mosque, has been praised for rushing to assist victims during the chaos before she was fatally shot.
Chief Wahl also disclosed that, as officers responded to the active shooter situation, additional gunfire erupted several blocks away. He explained that a landscaper working nearby had been targeted from a moving vehicle.
According to Wahl, the worker narrowly survived after a bullet appeared to ricochet off his helmet, which may have saved his life.
