An active shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego killed five people, including two suspects, after police responded within minutes and said the threat was neutralized Monday.
Five people are dead, including two suspects, after a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego that authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime.
The attack was first reported by the San Diego Police Department on Monday, May 18, at around 12 p.m. local time. The Islamic Center hosts daily prayers and includes a school on the grounds, making the response and aftermath particularly tense for families arriving for religious study.
Police said the threat was neutralized in a post on X shortly after 4 p.m. ET. In a press conference shortly after, Chief Scott Wahl confirmed the casualties: five people total, including three people inside the center and both suspects.
“We have never experienced a tragedy like this before,” Imam Taha Hassane said during Monday’s press conference.
As police pieced together the scene, they described how the first calls came in. Officers began receiving reports around 11:30 a.m. about an active shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Officials said officers arrived at the scene in four minutes.
Police said reports of the shooting initially came from outside the building, where a landscaper near the mosque was fired at by the suspects. Once officers entered the center, they found three men associated with the center dead at the scene, including the center’s security guard.
Wahl said that both suspects were found dead in a vehicle nearby. Both suspects were aged 17 and 19.
The incident has also drawn condemnation from the Council on American-Islamic Relations. In a statement, CAIR-San Diego called the attack a “horrifying act of violence.”
“Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this attack. No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school. We are working to learn more about this incident. and we encourage everyone to keep this community in your prayers. ” said Tazheen Nizam. CAIR-San Diego Executive Director.
As of 2 p.m. PT on May 18, police said during a news conference that they were still gathering information about the shooting. The sequence that followed—calls at 11:30 a.m. officers on scene within four minutes. and the later announcement that the threat was neutralized—left the community with a clear timeline even as investigators continued to work out what happened inside the center.
For now, the investigation is focused on the circumstances surrounding the attack, with authorities treating it as a possible hate crime.
San Diego Islamic Center shooting hate crime investigation Scott Wahl Imam Taha Hassane CAIR-San Diego active shooter mosque attack