Five people are dead following a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the Clairemont neighborhood, according to San Diego Police. Officers responded to reports of an active shooter at the center around 11:40 am PT. The center also operates as a school, police confirmed that all children at the site are safe.
Police Chief Scott Wahl described the scene as “extremely chaotic” during a press briefing. Responding officers found three deceased victims outside the center, one of whom was a mosque security guard. At the same time police arrived at the mosque, calls came in of gunfire a few blocks away; a landscaper was shot at but not struck.
Officers were soon directed to a nearby location where the suspects, ages 17 and 19, were found deceased in a vehicle from what appeared to be self-inflicted gunshots. Wahl noted that officers conducted room-by-room clearance of the mosque, breaching doors in some instances. Between 50 and 100 officers were in the mosque at one point.
The chief praised officers for their rapid response. The incident remains under investigation, and authorities have not yet disclosed a possible motive. The community is grappling with the violence, as the center serves both as a place of worship and a school.