A deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego left five adults dead, including two suspected gunman, and prompted a massive law enforcement response in the city’s Clairemont neighborhood.
Police said officers were called to the mosque and adjoining school shortly before noon after reports of violence at the complex, located about eight miles north of downtown San Diego. When officers arrived, they discovered three men dead outside the building. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said investigators later received additional calls about gunfire nearby. A landscaper working in the area was reportedly targeted but was not hurt.
Soon afterward, officers located a vehicle a short distance away containing two suspected shooters, believed to be 17 and 18 years old. Authorities said both appeared to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, and investigators do not believe police fired any shots during the encounter. Among those killed was a security guard at the mosque, whom Wahl credited with playing a “pivotal” role in helping prevent further casualties. According to CNN, one of the suspects was identified as Cain Clark. Hours before the attack, the 17-year-old’s mother told police her son and car were missing, along with three weapons.
The Islamic Center of San Diego, the county’s largest mosque, serves as both a place of worship and an educational campus with an Islamic school on site. An imam from the center said all students, teachers and staff members inside the school were safely accounted for following the shooting.
Investigators are still working to determine what led to the attack. Wahl said authorities are examining events that may have occurred beforehand, noting that incidents like this rarely happen without warning signs. For now, police are treating the case as a possible hate crime “until it’s not. The circumstances that led up to this, and the details of what happened in exactly which time it happened, will come out in the days ahead.” He also praised the large-scale emergency response, saying officers from across the region immediately rushed toward danger after hearing reports of gunfire.
The FBI is assisting in the investigation. FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily confirmed the two suspects were found dead inside the nearby vehicle. In response to the shooting, the Los Angeles Police Department announced increased patrols around mosques, Islamic centers and other houses of worship across Los Angeles, while emphasizing there is no known threat to the city.
Editorial credit: hermanthos / Shuttertock.com
