US police investigating deadly mosque shooting as hate crime

Two teenage gunmen killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday in an attack that police are investigating as a hate crime.

The suspects, aged 17 and 18, were later found dead in a vehicle nearby from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl confirmed the investigation and said hate rhetoric was involved in the attack.

What happened in the San Diego mosque shooting?

Three men were killed outside the Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in San Diego County, when two teenage gunmen opened fire at the complex.

Police arrived within four minutes of the first call and found three victims outside the building. Both suspects were found dead in a vehicle a few blocks away, with no officers having discharged their weapons.

Who were the victims and suspects in the Islamic Center of San Diego attack?

A security guard at the mosque was among the three men killed, and police chief Wahl said his response had helped prevent a deadlier attack. "His actions were heroic, and he undoubtedly saved lives today," Wahl said. The identities of the other two victims were not immediately released.

NBC, citing three law enforcement officials, identified the shooters as Cain Clark, aged 17, and Caleb Vazquez, aged 18. One of the shooters left a suicide note containing writings about racial pride, and hate speech was found scrawled on one of the weapons, according to CNN, citing unnamed law enforcement officials. The mother of one of the suspects had contacted police two hours before the attack, reporting that her son was suicidal and that several weapons and her vehicle were missing.

Why are police investigating the mosque shooting as a hate crime?

Wahl told reporters the department was "actively investigating this as a hate crime," citing hate rhetoric connected to the attack. "There was definitely hate rhetoric that was involved," he said. The presence of hate speech on one of the weapons and the racial pride writings in the suicide note formed part of the basis for the hate crime designation.

Police had initially deployed to a high school linked to one of the suspects before receiving the call about an active shooter at the Islamic center. An adjacent school was also swept as part of the active shooter response. The imam of the mosque, Taha Hassane, confirmed that all staff, teachers and children at the school were safe.

What did political leaders say about the San Diego mosque shooting?

President Donald Trump described the attack as a "terrible situation." New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor of a major American city, called it "an apparent act of anti-Muslim violence" and said New York police were boosting deployments to mosques as a precaution. "Islamophobia endangers Muslim communities across this country," he wrote on X.

California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed horror at the attack, saying worshippers should not have to fear for their lives. "Hate has no place in California, and we will not tolerate acts of terror or intimidation against communities of faith," he said. The mosque's imam described the attack as "extremely outrageous" and said the community had never experienced tragedy of this kind before.