The attack is being investigated by police as a possible hate crime.
A police officer on a roof at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (Photo: AP/Gregory Bull)
19 May 2026 05:58AM
(Updated: 19 May 2026 10:55AM)
SAN DIEGO: Two teenage gunmen opened fire on Monday (May 18) at the Islamic Center of San Diego in California, killing three men outside the mosque, one of them a security guard, before the two suspects were found dead, apparently from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, police said.San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said local law enforcement and the FBI were investigating the attack on the largest mosque in San Diego County as a hate crime.However, no precise motive or precipitating incident for the gun violence has been publicly suggested by authorities.All of the children who were attending a day school were accounted for and safe after the shooting, which erupted at about 11.40am PDT (6.40pm GMT, 2.40am Singapore time), officials said. At an evening news conference, Wahl disclosed that the mother of one of the two suspects had called police about two hours before the shooting to report that her son, whom she described as suicidal, had run away from home taking three guns she owned and her vehicle.
