SAN DIEGO — Two teens opened fire at an Islamic center in San Diego on Monday, killing three people before fatally shooting themselves, authorities said.
The shooting occurred in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
Police first received a call about an active shooter at about 11:45 a.m. PT at the Islamic Center of San Diego, according to KNSD. Officers arriving at the scene found three people dead, according to the television station.
One of the victims was a security guard at the Islamic Center, according to the newspaper. A family friend identified the guard as Amin Abdulla, The Associated Press and the Union-Tribune reported.
One of the shooting suspects was identified as Cain Clark, 17, according to KNSD. He and the other suspect, an 18-year-old male whose name has not yet been released, died from self-inflicted wounds, police said.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Office, along with other regional law enforcement partners, assisted the San Diego Police Department in stabilizing an active shooter event at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the Clairemont area.
— San Diego Sheriff (@SDSheriff) May 18, 2026
Our deepest condolences go to everyone affected… pic.twitter.com/v6nkx41T7V
Police believe the security guard “played a pivotal role” in keeping the attack from escalating, The Associated Press reported.
“It’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” San Diego police Chief Scott Wahl said during a news conference. “Undoubtedly he saved lives today.”
Wahl told reporters that the two alleged shooters were found dead inside a vehicle a short distance away from the mosque, the Union-Tribune reported.
After leaving the center, Wahl said the two shooters fired at a landscaper working in the area, according to the newspaper. That man was not injured.
The mother of one of the alleged shooters called police at 9:42 a.m. PT to warn them that she believed her son was suicidal and that several of her weapons were missing, KGTV reported.
While chasing down leads, police received a call about an active shooter at the Islamic Center, according to the television station.
Wahl said the teen left a note, and there was “generalized hate rhetoric” involved, the Union-Tribune reported. The chief did not expand on that assertion, according to KGTV.
The Islamic Center of San Diego will be closed until further notice, according to a statement posted on its website. The statement said that the community “is heartbroken by the tragic shooting incident that occurred today on our campus.”
“We ask our community to keep the victims, their families, and all those affected in your prayers. This has been an extremely painful and traumatic day for our congregation, students, staff, and the broader San Diego community,” the statement said. “Places of worship are meant to be spaces of peace, prayer, reflection, and community. Violence and hatred have no place in our society.”
The Islamic Center is the largest mosque in San Diego County, KNSD reported.
“My community is mourning,” Taha Hassane, imam of the Islamic Center of San Diego, said during a news conference. “This is something we have never expected to take place, but at the same time, the religious intolerance and the hate, unfortunately, that exists in our nation is unprecedented.”
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