San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said the three men killed during the Monday shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego “did not die in vain,” describing how they slowed the attackers, sent warnings, and alerted police—actions that helped dozens of schoolchi
In the moments when gunmen opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego. three men ran toward danger instead of away from it. Authorities said their actions before they were killed helped slow the shooters and buy time—allowing a warning to go out and police to be alerted—so that dozens of schoolchildren inside the mosque could scramble for safety.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said the impact was immediate and unmistakable. “I want to be very clear: All three of our victims did not die in vain,” Wahl said. “Without question, there would have been many more fatalities yesterday.”
The three men were widely known at the mosque, even among people who weren’t close to them personally. In the days after the shooting. tens of thousands of dollars in donations poured into a fundraiser set up for their families. The imam, or leader of the mosque, Taha Hassane, described the loss in blunt terms. “We lost three pillars of our community,” Hassane said. “We call them our martyrs and our heroes.”.
Amin Abdullah, 51, was remembered first as a protector with a warm, steady presence. A beloved security guard at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Abdullah managed to strike one of the gunmen before he was slain. authorities said. Known for his burly build and his winning smile. he greeted visitors every time. responding “Salam wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuh” or “May the peace. mercy. and blessings of Allah be upon you too.”.
Abdullah was also known beyond the mosque: after the shooting, his picture circulated and was reposted thousands of times. Family members said he was born in San Diego as Brian Climax but later went by his Muslim name. He converted to Islam in his late teens during the 1990s, with several siblings and his mother following. He was a father of eight.
His daughter. Hawaa Abdullah. described him at a Tuesday news conference as a man who would drop everything to make sure she was safe. She said that if she popped a tire on a freeway, he would leave immediately. She remembered him teaching his children about the world. about faith. and. to his sons. how to navigate life as young Black Muslim men.
“He was a role model, he was a best friend, he was the best dad in the whole world,” Hawaa Abdullah said.
Relatives said Abdullah could be relentlessly devoted—skipping meals because he worried something bad might happen while he wasn’t working. Before becoming a security guard at the mosque, he previously worked in a nearby dental office. After the 2019 massacre at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, he felt compelled to change. He trained himself in situational awareness and how to analyze an active shooter incident as it unfolded. and years later took the role at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Ismahan Abdullahi. a local Muslim leader and activist who serves as executive director of the political advocacy organization Faith Power Alliance. said Abdullah urged women—particularly those who wore hijabs—to learn self-defense. Abdullahi said Abdullah wanted men, too, to work out and stay strong in case they needed to defend their families. She added that he regularly offered training for volunteers at nearby mosques that lacked funds to hire security.
Abdullah’s seriousness, she said, showed in small routines and constant readiness. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him sit in all these years,” Abdullahi said. The mosque eventually built a small shed so he could rest from the heat.
He loved archery, considering it a lost art, and would make bows himself to give away. He also shared photos with friends of hawks soaring over the mosque’s minaret.
Abdullah’s sister. Angela Climax. who also goes by Aisha Muhammad. said she followed him as a child. playing cops and robbers together. She described him as “hypervigilant. ” adding. “He was always in this mind frame of protecting.” She said it was hard to hold the reality that he couldn’t be reached anymore. “I believe he died in the way he wanted to. But humanly. it’s hard for us to swallow the concept of. ‘I can’t pick up the phone and call my brother.’”.
Police said Abdullah’s bravery as the gunmen approached was part of why children survived. Authorities said Abdullah returned their fire. striking one of the attackers. and then reached for his walkie-talkie to call for the school to be locked down even as the gunmen pressed forward. A witness and video reviewed by law enforcement indicated he did so while the attackers forged into the mosque.
Mansour Kaziha, 78, was known in the community as “Abu Ezz,” and for decades he ran the store inside the Islamic Center of San Diego. But Hassane said Kaziha’s role extended far past retail. “He was the cook, the handyman, he was the caretaker,” the imam said. “He was everything.”
During holidays and the month of Ramadan, Kaziha cooked large meals for congregants. The spread often included lamb, chicken, rice, and his famous lentil soup. He stocked the mosque’s store with books. anticipating what the community needed—introductory prayer books and Spanish translations for a growing Latino population. He sold prayer beads, rugs, and an array of snacks.
Asim Billoo, 42, a youth counselor at the mosque, said Kaziha was the reason some favorites were available. Billoo’s daughters liked halal crispy rice treats. but they were unavailable for a time due to pandemic-related supply chain issues. When Kaziha restocked, Billoo said he let the family know immediately. “My kids loved those,” Billoo said. “I couldn’t believe he had remembered.”.
Kaziha came to the U.S. from Syria and had five sons and several grandchildren. Every Sunday, early in the morning, he deep-cleaned the large hall even though the mosque had assigned custodial staff. Family members described him as the kind of man who checked everything—fixing locks and windows. monitoring ventilation. and changing water filters.
As he got older and cooking and cleaning became more difficult, his labor of love became a family affair, with his sons regularly helping out. Kaziha’s son Yasser Kaziha said at an event in recent days captured on video that his father’s purpose was to serve the community.
Hassane said Kaziha was the first to call 911. The imam also said Kaziha and another victim. Nadir Awad. ran toward the mosque and were on the phone from behind cars in the parking lot. trying to reach police. Their actions. authorities said. drew the shooters back outside and into the parking lot. away from the sheltering teachers and children—where the two men were cornered and killed.
The mosque reopened to congregants on Wednesday, but the store remained closed and cordoned off with caution tape.
Nadir Awad. 57. lived just across the street from the Islamic Center of San Diego and was a familiar presence for daily prayers. He was married to a kindergarten teacher at the mosque’s school, and he owned a limousine company. His SUV was a fixture in the area, and family members described him as the neighborhood watch for the community.
Authorities said Awad was thought to have been in the kitchen when he heard the gunfire. He threw off his apron and sprinted toward it. He died alongside Kaziha.
Awad’s wife teaches kindergarten at the school. His daughter said in a social media post that he risked his life to save her mother and others at the school. “[H]e heard gunshots and ran over to help without hesitation,” Renad Awad wrote. “I am beyond proud of him, and beyond proud to call him my father, habibi baba.”.
Abdimalik Buul, an administrative executive in California’s community college system who attended the school and grew up with Awad’s children, said Awad helped newcomers find work and helped Buul’s brother get a job as a driver.
Buul described Awad as having an unrelenting but self-deprecating sense of humor, and as someone who loved his wife’s knafeh, the sweet, stretchy Palestinian dessert. “He had the bubbliest smile. He would greet you from halfway across the mosque. He was an amazing soul,” Buul said.
Buul’s 8-year-old daughter was barricaded in a classroom during the shooting. He said he fears what it means for her to grow up in what he called a hateful climate and a “sickening culture of gun violence.” Still, he said he found comfort knowing the three men were there for her.
“I’m forever indebted and grateful to these three brave souls.”
San Diego shooting Islamic Center of San Diego Amin Abdullah Mansour Kaziha Nadir Awad Scott Wahl Taha Hassane schoolchildren fundraiser active shooter