Three people were killed after two teen gunmen opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, including a security guard praised by police for his ‘heroic’ actions in preventing the attack from being ‘much worse’
Police believe the security guard played a pivotal role
A ‘heroic’ security guard who lost his life in a horrific assault has been commended for ‘saving lives’ after two teenage gunmen opened fire at a San Diego mosque.
The security guard was amongst three individuals who died in the attack at The Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, May 18.
Two teenage shooters, later named as Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, were discovered deceased in a car with self-inflicted injuries, officials confirmed.
Authorities believe the guard “played a pivotal role” in preventing the assault from becoming “much worse”.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl stated: “It’s fair to say his actions were heroic.”
“Undoubtedly, he saved lives today,” the police chief declared.
The guard’s name, along with those of the other casualties, remains unreleased.
The assault is being treated as a hate crime investigation.
Images from the location reveal a massive police response surrounding the mosque, with families fleeing the vicinity.
Mr Wahl revealed that officers had been speaking with one of the teenagers’ mothers earlier that day after she contacted authorities around 9.40am local time, reporting her son missing alongside several firearms and her car.
“She was beginning to develop a bigger picture as to what she was dealing with and was conveying that to our folks, and we were trying to put that together and get out in front of this as quickly as we could,” Mr Wahl explained.
He further disclosed that the mother had discovered a letter containing “hate rhetoric”.
The contents have not been revealed, but he stated that there was no specific threat against the Islamic Centre of San Diego.
The centre is the largest mosque in San Diego County and includes the Al Rashid School, which provides courses in Arabic language, Islamic studies and the Quran for students aged five and upwards, according to its website.
Following reports of an active shooter, police arrived within four minutes of being called, Mr Wahl said.
Upon their arrival, gunshots were heard a few blocks away where a landscaper was fired at but remained unharmed.
The gunmen were discovered deceased in a vehicle halted in the middle of a nearby road.
The mosque’s director, Imam Taha Hassane, described it as “extremely outrageous to target a place of worship”.
“All the places of worship in our beautiful city should always be protected,” he stated.
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