Five people, including two gunmen, have been killed after an active shooter situation at a San Diego mosque on Monday, May 18. The incident occurred at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the Clairemont neighborhood.
Security Guard Played Key Role
One of the victims was a mosque security guard who “played a pivotal role in assisting, this could have been worse,” said a San Diego police officer at a press conference. The suspects, believed to be aged 17 and 19, died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, police said.
Victims and Response
One member of the mosque was also killed in the attack, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). It is unclear if this member was the security guard or a different victim. Helicopter footage showed one person in a tactical vest who appears to have been shot dead outside the Islamic Center. A photo from the scene shows a dead body under a yellow tarp.
“The threat at the Islamic center has been neutralized,” the San Diego Police Department wrote on X at 1:06 p.m. Between 50 and 100 police officers swarmed the building as a landscaper came under fire from the shooters, police said Monday.
Community and School Safety
“We are safe, the entire school is safe. All the kids, all the staff, and the teachers are safe and out of the Islamic Center,” center Imam Taha Hassane said in a video obtained by the California Post and circulated among California’s Muslim community. Scores of emergency vehicles were seen lined up outside the center only minutes after the call came in for an active shooter.
An elementary school next to the Islamic Center was also evacuated by police, as were adults still inside the center. Officers were seen frantically searching the neighborhood, going door to door to find a shooter, according to KGTV San Diego. Two people, who have not been identified, were seen being resuscitated by first responders near the scene of the shooting, a video posted to Reddit shows.
Official Statements
“I am aware of the active shooter situation at the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont and am continuing to receive updates from law enforcement. Emergency personnel are on scene and actively working to protect the community and secure the area,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria posted to X.
There are three schools within close proximity to the mosque: the Islamic School of San Diego, the Clairemont Canyons Academy, and the Kavod Charter School. A Seventh Day Adventist church and California Children Services are also nearby. The center’s campus includes the Al Rashid School.
“School children attending school were inside during the attack. CAIR-San Diego and local community leaders have confirmed that at least one member of the mosque was killed,” CAIR said in a press release.
National Response
Law enforcement agencies from across the country, including the NYPD and Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia, said they are increasing patrols of mosques out of an abundance of caution. “SDPD is on scene at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the 7000 block of Eckstrom Ave for a reported active shooter,” the San Diego Police Department posted. “Please avoid the area. Updates to follow,” the post added. “The scene at 7050 Eckstrom Ave is still active but contained. We have significant resources on scene at this time. We have established a reunification location at 4125 Hathaway Street, SD, CA 92111.”
