San Diego officials detail heroic actions in mosque shooting attack

A mosque security guard and two school staff members helped pull gunfire away from children inside the Islamic Center of San Diego, a move officials said may have kept Monday’s attack from becoming even deadlier.

San Diego police said they were dispatched at 11:43 a.m. on May 18, 2026, and officers arrived within four minutes at the center in Clairemont, about eight miles north of downtown. Three adult victims were killed: a security guard and two staff members from the Islamic school on the center’s grounds. Police said all children inside were safe. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl called the security guard’s actions “heroic” and said they appeared to have prevented the attack from becoming worse.

The victims were identified by the Islamic Center of San Diego and CAIR San Diego as Amin Abdullah, the mosque security guard and father of eight; Mansour Kaziha, who managed the mosque store and was a husband, father and grandfather; and Nader Awad, who was recognized for saving additional lives during the shooting. Officials said the victims were found outside the center after the attack. By Tuesday afternoon, more than $2 million had been raised to support Abdullah’s family.

Authorities are investigating the shooting as a possible hate crime. Police said there was “definitely hate rhetoric” involved, and anti-Islamic writings were found in the suspects’ vehicle. Two teenage suspects, ages 17 and 18, died of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds after the attack. Police first described one suspect as 19 before correcting the age to 18. Investigators also said they had received an earlier call that morning about a runaway juvenile connected to one of the suspects, and said the suspects had taken weapons from home and were dressed in camouflage.

Mayor Todd Gloria said the city was shaken by a violent act of hate and noted that it came at the start of Dhul-Hijjah, one of Islam’s holiest periods leading into Hajj and Eid al-Adha. A landscaper nearby was shot at but not injured, and one other person suffered a non-firearm injury while responding to the incident. Officials said a large law enforcement response secured the building room by room, and the FBI said it was assisting local authorities in the active investigation.