By Gina Yarbrough
San Diego, CA–Three people were killed and two teenage suspects died by suicide Monday in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the Clairemont area, according to the San Diego Police Department.
At a news conference, police officials said one of the victims was a security guard at the mosque, located at 7050 Eckstrom Ave. The identities of the other victims have not been released. Children at the mosque were not injured in the attack.
The two suspects, ages 17 and 18, were later found dead inside a vehicle several blocks from the scene. Investigators said at least one of the suspects appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Before their deaths, the suspects allegedly opened fire on a landscaper in a separate incident nearby, though the individual was not injured, police said.
Authorities are investigating the shooting as a possible hate crime.
Police said the investigation began earlier Monday morning when officers received a call at about 9:42 a.m. from a San Diego mother reporting her teenage son missing. The woman told officers several firearms and her vehicle were missing from her home and said she believed her son was suicidal.
According to investigators, the mother also reported that her son was accompanied by another individual and that both were dressed in camouflage clothing.
Using license plate reader technology, officers tracked the vehicle and initially believed the suspects might be headed toward the Fashion Valley area, prompting concerns about a possible threat there.
At about 11:43 a.m., officers received multiple calls reporting an active shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
As officers responded to the mosque, dispatchers also received reports of gunfire several blocks away in the 7300 block of Salerno Street. Authorities said a landscaper was shot at during that incident but survived after bullets struck the protective helmet he was wearing.
The investigation remains ongoing.
