Police were searching for teens behind San Diego mosque shooting before the bloodshed began

Police were searching for teens behind San Diego mosque shooting before the bloodshed began 1 of 9 | Authorities say two teenage suspects opened fire at an Islamic center in San Diego, California, killing three men before taking their own lives. The killings are being investigated as a hate crime. (AP video by Javier Arciga) 2 of 9 | San Diego police are responding to an active shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Officer Anthony Carrasco says they believe people have been shot. 3 of 9 | A shooting at a San Diego mosque on Monday killed three men, and two teenage suspects are also dead, the police chief said. 4 of 9 | The two suspects in a Monday shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego are dead, according to a police source. The Islamic Center is the largest mosque in San Diego County, according to its website. Aerial TV footage showed more than a dozen children holding hands and being walked out of the parking lot of the center that is surrounded by scores of police vehicles. 5 of 9 | Two teenage gunmen opened fire at an Islamic Center in San Diego on Monday and killed three men before killing themselves a few blocks away, police said. The attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego is being investigated as a hate crime, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said at a news conference at a neighborhood park across from the mosque. Daniel McDonald, 20, who lives a few blocks over, told The Associated Press that he heard the shots from inside his home. 6 of 9 | People embrace near the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) 7 of 9 | A body is covered with a tarp at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) 8 of 9 | Two men embrace at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) 9 of 9 | People stand behind police tape at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) 1 of 9 Authorities say two teenage suspects opened fire at an Islamic center in San Diego, California, killing three men before taking their own lives. The killings are being investigated as a hate crime. (AP video by Javier Arciga) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 9 San Diego police are responding to an active shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Officer Anthony Carrasco says they believe people have been shot. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 9 A shooting at a San Diego mosque on Monday killed three men, and two teenage suspects are also dead, the police chief said. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 9 The two suspects in a Monday shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego are dead, according to a police source. The Islamic Center is the largest mosque in San Diego County, according to its website. Aerial TV footage showed more than a dozen children holding hands and being walked out of the parking lot of the center that is surrounded by scores of police vehicles. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 5 of 9 Two teenage gunmen opened fire at an Islamic Center in San Diego on Monday and killed three men before killing themselves a few blocks away, police said. The attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego is being investigated as a hate crime, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said at a news conference at a neighborhood park across from the mosque. Daniel McDonald, 20, who lives a few blocks over, told The Associated Press that he heard the shots from inside his home. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 6 of 9 | People embrace near the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) 6 of 9 People embrace near the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 7 of 9 | A body is covered with a tarp at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) 7 of 9 A body is covered with a tarp at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 8 of 9 | Two men embrace at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) 8 of 9 Two men embrace at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 9 of 9 | People stand behind police tape at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) 9 of 9 People stand behind police tape at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] San Diego (AP) — Before the first shot rang out at a San Diego mosque in a deadly shooting that would leave three men dead, police were already scrambling to find two teenagers who would ultimately be responsible.The search began after a mother of one of the teenagers reported her son was suicidal and had run away, according to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, who said weapons were missing from the home and her vehicle was gone.Two hours later, the shooting began at the Islamic Center of San Diego, just blocks away from the home.The suspects, ages 17 and 18, were found in a vehicle after killing themselves a few blocks from the site of the shooting.Authorities planned to execute search warrants related to the investigation Tuesday as they piece together how and why the shooting unfolded. 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. The center, which said it was closed until further notice, is the largest mosque in San Diego and typically holds five daily prayers. 2 MIN READ 2 MIN READ 2 MIN READ “These were men who put themselves on the line for our masjid and our community,” the center wrote in a Facebook post, using the Arabic word for mosque. “Men of courage, sacrifice, and faith. Their absence leaves a void that can never truly be filled.” On Monday morning, the search for the missing teen intensified as law enforcement began to gather more details. 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. When reports of the shooting came in, police responded within four minutes of being called. 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.“It’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” the chief said at a news conference. “Undoubtedly he saved lives today.”A family friend identified the guard as Amin Abdullah, a well-known face at the mosque who had worked there for more than a decade.“He wanted to defend the innocent so he decided to become a security guard,” said Shaykh Uthman Ibn Farooq, who spoke with Abdullah’s son. The family could not immediately be reached for comment.The center called him “a courageous man who put himself on the line of the safety of others, who even in his last moments did not stop protecting our community.”The mosque is in a neighborhood of homes, apartments and strip malls with Middle Eastern restaurants and markets. The center includes the Al Rashid School, which offers courses in Arabic language, Islamic studies and the Quran for students ages 5 and up, according to its website. Aerial TV footage showed more than a dozen children holding hands and being walked out of the center’s parking lot as it was surrounded by scores of police vehicles. Imam Taha Hassane, the mosque’s director, called it “extremely outrageous to target a place of worship,” adding that the center focused on interfaith relations and community building.The Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy groups in the U.S., condemned the shooting.“No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school,” CAIR-San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam said in a statement. Johnson reported from Seattle. Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report. Watson covers immigration, US-Mexico border issues and the environment, and helps direct coverage of California and Nevada for The Associated Press. She’s reported from Mexico, Central and South America, and was a 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist.