What we know about ‘hateful rhetoric,’ suspects in San Diego shooting
Authorities are searching for answers after two suspects opened fire at a San Diego mosque on May 18, killing three people and then themselves.
Shooting at San Diego Islamic Center in Clairemont neighborhood Police say the incident happened around 11:43 a.m. PT. Authorities did not identify the victims but said one of them was the center’s security guard and that his actions prevented the situation from escalating further.
The hate crime investigation continues on May 19. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said at a May 18 press conference that the shooting would be investigated as a hate crime “until it doesn’t happen,” adding that “there was definitely hate speech,” but there was no specific threat to the mosque.
“We will leave no stone unturned,” said Mark Remily, special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Diego field office.
Here’s what we know about the shooting and investigation:
What happened in the mosque attack in San Diego?
Shortly before noon on May 18, police received a call about an active shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego, which also houses a school. They received another call that a landscape architect had been shot a few blocks away. The San Diego Police Department said officers arrived at the scene within minutes of the initial call and found three people dead outside the mosque.
Police teams entered the mosque to search for suspects.
A few minutes later, police were called to another location nearby, where a vehicle was parked in the middle of the street. in question.
It turned out that the two suspected attackers in the vehicle were dead from self-inflicted bullet wounds.
San Diego Police officers block the road to the Islamic Center of San Diego following a shooting in Southern California on May 18, 2026. Three people were killed in a shooting at San Diego’s largest mosque complex, and two suspected teenage gunmen were later found dead in a car from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, police said.
Who are the victims?
Authorities had not identified the three victims as of early May 19 but said they had notified family members.
All three victims were men, Wahl said. One of them was identified as a security guard and was thought to have prevented a worse incident from occurring.
“We believe the security guard could have helped minimize the situation, at least in the front of the mosque,” Wahl said. “I don’t want to speculate, but I think it’s fair to say at this point that his actions were heroic and undoubtedly saved lives today.”
The Islamic Center said in a statement that the three men were “pillars of our community.”
Men console each other as they sit on a sidewalk near the scene of an active shooter incident at the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18, 2026.
“Our beloved security guard who gave his life to protect the children and community members of our mosque,” the center said. “He is the foundation and another pillar of our masjid, who has helped form and strengthen this community with his dedication, service and love from the very beginning. … Our brave brother, who impressed everyone around him with his kindness, sincerity and unwavering spirit.”
“Their absence leaves a void that can never truly be filled. They were more than community members, they were family.”
What we know about the suspects, motive
Police said the attackers were 17 and 18 years old, without revealing their identities.
About two hours before the shooting was reported to police, the mother of one of the suspects called police to report that three of his guns, his car, and his son were missing. Police said he believed his son was suicidal. Wahl also said his son was with a friend and they were wearing camouflage. Wahl said the information the mother gave led police to believe something serious could have happened.
More: What we know about the suspects in the deadly mosque attack in San Diego
“The information it was collecting and transmitting to us began to elevate the level of threat we perceived,” Wahl said.
Wahl said the suspect’s mother also found a note but did not disclose its contents.
Police used automatic license plate recognition to track down the missing vehicle and responded to a shopping mall as a possible threat location near where the vehicle was spotted. They were also sent to the school district with which one of the teens was associated, but it was later learned that he was participating in a virtual online program.
Police said the report of a shooting came in while police were continuing their efforts to find the suspects.
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Credits: Amanda Lee Myers, James Powell, Will Carless, Michael Loria and Thao Nguyen
This article first appeared on USA TODAY: What we know about the San Diego mosque attack is linked to ‘hate speech’
