Nearly $2 million has been raised for the family of Amin Abdullah, the security guard killed in an attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego.Show Caption
SAN DIEGO, CA – When Mayte Gutierrez saw Amin Abdullah on patrol, she felt safe."He was like a hawk," she told USA TODAY, describing the fervent work ethic of Abdullah, a longtime and beloved security guard at the Islamic Center of San Diego. "Even if it was a quiet day, he was on alert and ready if anything happened."On May 18, Gutierrez's worst fears came true when two gunmen opened fire outside the center in what police are investigating as a hate crime. Police officials and leaders at the mosque said Abdullah sprang into action and sacrificed his own life to protect worshipers, staff and school children in the building."His actions were heroic,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said at a news conference. “Undoubtedly, he saved lives.”Abdullah, a father of eight, was one of three men killed in the attack. The gunmen were found dead of what police believe to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Authorities have not identified the suspects or victims as of the morning of May 19.The San Diego branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations identified Abdullah as the security guard who'd been fatally shot. The organization, along with the Islamic center, organized a fundraiser for Abdullah's family, which has amassed more than $1.9 million in donations. The campaign mourns him as a "San Diego Martyr."In a statement, the Islamic Center of San Diego described Abdullah as a “courageous man who put himself on the line for the safety of others, who even in his last moments did not stop protecting our community.”'A true hero'Gutierrez worked for five years as an administrator at the Islamic center's school, where she met Abdullah, one of the head security guards at the facility. The pair bonded quickly over their similar conversions to Islam."He greeted everyone who would come into the center," Gutierrez, 34, remembered. "He was loved by the students and the teachers."Sam Hamideh, whose children attend school at the center, said Abdullah always had a smile on his face and would run to open the door for students in the morning."He just had that kind of heart," Hamideh, 47, told USA TODAY.During his time off, Abdullah often went to the gun range or honed his archery skills. On his Facebook page, he posted videos of himself firing arrows at targets in his backyard. Gutierrez said he would often talk about his love of archery and the latest bow-and-arrow he made by hand.His ability to stand on his feet for whole shifts was a source of amazement for Gutierrez and other staffers."You'd never see him sitting down or on his phone," she said.Gutierrez, who stopped working at the center in 2020 before moving to Texas, said she had been planning to move back to San Diego. One of the people she most looked forward to seeing was Abdullah."It's heartbreaking," she said, speaking about the shooting. She said she wasn't surprised to hear that he had rushed to protect those in the mosque."He is a true hero," she said.
