A shooting at a mosque complex in San Diego, California, left three people dead on Monday in what authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime.
Police said emergency teams responded to reports of an active shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego, where officers discovered three victims outside the mosque complex.
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Authorities later located two suspected teenage gunmen, aged 18 and 17, dead inside a vehicle a few blocks away. Police said both suspects appeared to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Scores of law enforcement officers responded to a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the region’s largest mosque, where police say at least three victims were killed https://t.co/dDQjqqhwhE pic.twitter.com/g1tp6sowqH
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 18, 2026
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl told reporters that investigators were treating the case as a potential hate crime due to the presence of alleged hate-related rhetoric connected to the attack.
According to police, officers arrived at the scene within minutes of receiving the emergency call and immediately launched an active shooter response inside the mosque and its adjacent school.
A security guard at the Islamic centre was among those killed. Police credited his actions with helping prevent a more deadly attack.
Chief Wahl described the guard’s actions as heroic, saying he likely saved lives during the incident.
Authorities also revealed that the mother of one suspect had contacted police approximately two hours before the shooting, reporting that her son was suicidal and that weapons and her vehicle were missing.
Initial police deployments were directed toward an area near a high school linked to the suspect before authorities received reports of gunfire at the mosque.
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Imam Taha Hassane confirmed that staff members, teachers and children at the mosque’s school were unharmed.
US President Donald Trump described the shooting as a “terrible situation,” while Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the Muslim community.
Officials temporarily placed nearby areas under lockdown before later confirming that the threat had been neutralised. Investigations into the motive, victims’ identities and suspect backgrounds remain ongoing.