San Diego Mosque Shooting: Police were already searching for two teenagers hours before gunfire erupted at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the city’s largest mosque, on Monday, May 18, 2026. The attack left three men dead. Authorities are investigating the shooting as a hate crime. The suspects, ages 17 and 18, were later found dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl confirmed in a news conference that the two suspects in the shooting also died. He said that the two suspects, aged 17 and 19, appear to have died from "self-inflicted gunshot wounds." He did not identify them beyond their ages.Prior to the deadly shooting, the search began after the mother of one of the teenagers reported her son was suicidal and had run away. According to Scott Wahl, weapons were missing from the home, and her vehicle was gone, news agency AP reported.Two hours later, the shooting began at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Eckstrom Avenue, just blocks away from the home. The suspects were found in a vehicle after killing themselves a few blocks from the site of the shooting. Police in San Diego responded to reports of an active shooter in the area. The incident unfolded around 12:00 p.m. local time, according to the San Diego Police Department.San Diego Shooting: 5 people diedAuthorities updated the public about an hour later with a post on X, announcing that they had "neutralized" the threat. Wahl said that five people died in the attack, including two gunmen and a security guard. Authorities planned to execute search warrants related to the investigation on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) as they piece together how and why the shooting unfolded.San Diego shooting suspects engaged in 'generalized hate rhetoric'There was no specific threat made against the Islamic center, but authorities found evidence that the suspects engaged in “generalized hate rhetoric," Wahl said, noting that the shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.On Monday morning, the search for the missing teen intensified as law enforcement began to gather more details, AP reported. Police learned he had dressed in camouflage and was with an acquaintance. Officers used automated license plate readers to track the car and went to a mall in the area. They also alerted a school where at least one of the teens had been a student and continued interviewing the mother, Wahl said.Police responded within four minutes of receiving reports of the shooting. Three men were dead when they arrived, Wahl said. Among those killed was a security guard, who police believe “played a pivotal role” in keeping the attack from being “much worse,” Wahl said, as quoted by AP. “It’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” the chief said at a news conference. “Undoubtedly he saved lives today.”