The mayor of San Diego has reported an “active shooter situation” at the Islamic Center in the city’s Clairemont community as police officers arrived at the scene. Officer Anthony Carrasco says they believe people have been shot. Footage from the local NBC television affiliate showed dozens of patrol cars on a highway bridge next to the Islamic Center, with police officers and their vehicles surrounding the grounds, aiming rifles at the facility. SDPD is on scene at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the
7000 block of Eckstrom Ave for a reported active shooter.Please avoid the area. Updates to follow. #SDPDPIO— San Diego Police Department (@SanDiegoPD) May 18, 2026 TV images from the scene also showed armed officers making their way through the complex. The Islamic Center in Clairemont, a residential and commercial district of San Diego, is in the largest mosque in San Diego County, according to its website. The campus includes the al-Rashid School, which the website says offers courses in Arabic language, Islamic studies and the
Koran. The website says its mission is to not only serve the Muslim population but also “work with the larger community to serve the less fortunate, to educate, and to better our nation”. Five daily prayers are held there, and the mosque works with other organisations and people of all faiths on social causes. In a post on X, Mayor Todd Gloria said: “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.” The San Diego Police Department separately posted a message saying that its officers were “on scene” at the Islamic Center “for a reported active shooter”. Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said he was being briefed. “We are grateful to the first responders on the scene working to protect the community and urge everyone to follow guidance from local authorities,” his office posted on X. with Reuters
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