TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Two teenagers opened fire at a San Diego mosque on Monday afternoon, killing three men. As reported by ABC News, San Diego police said the two shooters then killed themselves a few blocks away.
The shooting attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego is being investigated as a hate crime, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said at a press conference in a neighborhood park across from the mosque.
The initial call came in at 11:45 a.m. local time, and officers responded within four minutes, Wahl said.
As they arrived, gunfire rang out a few blocks away, where a gardener was shot but uninjured. Among the dead was a mosque security guard, who police said "played a pivotal role" in preventing the attack from becoming "much worse," Wahl said.
Identification of the Gunmen
The shooters were found dead in a vehicle stopped in the middle of a nearby street, he added.
Two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation and a federal law enforcement official identified Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, as suspects in the shooting, according to NBC News.
San Diego police received their first call around 9:42 a.m. from the mother of one of the suspects, who said her son was missing, along with his firearm and car, Wahl told reporters.
She also said her son was suicidal and was likely with a friend, Wahl said. Both young men were wearing military uniforms, she told police.
Investigators were able to link one of the suspects to Madison Middle School, about a mile from the Islamic Center of San Diego, Wahl said.
At 11:43 a.m., police received a report of an active shooter at the mosque.
“Officers were still in the area and talking to the mother, trying to gather information about where they might be, where she thought they would be, and it was only a few blocks away,” Wahl said. “Those officers, as soon as they heard what happened at the Islamic Center, immediately went to the mosque.”
When police arrived, they found the three victims dead. While police were searching for the suspects inside the Islamic Center, dispatchers received a call that a gardener might have been shot a few blocks away, Wahl said.
After that, another report came in that the two suspects were killed in a car by gunfire, he said.
Investigators are now conducting a search warrant.
“We will continue to follow up on every lead and information that comes up because we are all focused on figuring out how this happened and what we could have done to prevent it,” Wahl said.
Hate Against Islam
Investigators are examining possible anti-Islamic writing found in the car where police found the dead suspects, two senior law enforcement officials said.
Wahl reiterated that the shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.
“At this point, there was clearly hateful rhetoric involved,” he said in response to a question at a press conference. “I’ll stop there for now.”
“There was general hateful rhetoric and speech,” but there were no specific threats directed at “any facility or place,” he said.
Wahl said the FBI was called in to assist in the investigation of the incident, which the police chief said is being treated by authorities as a hate crime, although no motive for the gun violence has yet been disclosed.
The attack occurred days before the major Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice, and the annual Hajj pilgrimage to the holy site of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
The center is the largest mosque in San Diego County and includes the Al Rashid School, which offers Arabic language, Islamic studies, and Quranic courses for students ages 5 and up, according to its website.
"All of the kids are safe," Wahl said, visibly emotional. "Our hearts go out to the families that are in this moment being notified of what has happened to their loved ones."
Aerial television footage showed more than a dozen children holding hands and being led out of the center's parking lot surrounded by dozens of police vehicles. The white mosque is located in a neighborhood of residential apartments and shopping centers with Middle Eastern restaurants and markets.
Condemnation of the Attack
The mosque's director, Imam Taha Hassane, called it "extremely outrageous to target a place of worship." "All the places of worship in our beautiful city should always be protected," he said.
He added that the center focuses on interfaith relations and community building. Hours before the shooting, a group of non-Muslims had visited the mosque to learn about Islam.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), one of the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy groups in the US, 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, as reported by ABC. "We are working to learn more about this incident and we encourage everyone to keep this community in your prayers."
President Donald Trump on Monday night called the attack on the Islamic Center a "horrific situation." "I have received some preliminary information, but we will review it very carefully," he said when asked about the situation, as reported by NBC.
Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom said that he and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, were "horrified" by the attack. He told the San Diego Muslim community, "California stands with you."
"Jennifer and I are horrified by today’s violent attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego, where families and children gather, and neighbors worship in peace and fellowship," Newsom said in a statement.
He offered condolences to those affected by the shooting and said that personnel from the California Highway Patrol and the Governor's Office of Emergency Services were on the scene to coordinate with local authorities and offer state support.
"Worshippers anywhere should not have to fear for their lives," Newsom said. "Hate has no place in California, and we will not tolerate acts of terror or intimidation against communities of faith."
Read: Three Killed in Shooting at San Diego Mosque, Police Probe Hate Crime
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