Two teenage gunmen opened fire at an Islamic Center in San Diego on Monday and killed three men before killing themselves a few blocks away, police said.
The attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego is being investigated as a hate crime, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said at a news conference at a neighborhood park across from the mosque.
He said the "circumstances that led up to this" would come out in the days ahead.
Among those killed was a mosque security guard, who police believe "played a pivotal role" in keeping the attack from being "much worse," Wahl said.
The center is the largest mosque in San Diego County and includes the Al Rashid School that offers courses in Arabic language, Islamic studies and the Quran for students ages 5 and up, according to its website.
"All of the kids are safe," Wahl said, appearing emotional. "Our hearts go out to the families that are in this moment being notified of what has happened to their loved ones."
Police responded within four minutes of being called, Wahl said. As they arrived, gunshots rang out a few blocks away where a landscaper was shot at but uninjured. The shooters were found dead in a vehicle stopped in the middle of a road nearby, he said.
Aerial TV footage showed more than a dozen children holding hands and being walked out of the parking lot of the center as it was surrounded by scores of police vehicles. The white mosque is in a neighborhood of homes, apartments and strip malls with Middle Eastern restaurants and markets.
Parents were directed to a nearby area to retrieve their children.
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 focused on interfaith relations and community building, and that a group of non-Muslims had been touring the mosque earlier Monday to learn about Islam.
The Islamic Center's website says its mission is to not only serve the Muslim population but also "work with the larger community to serve the less fortunate, to educate, and to better our nation." Five daily prayers are held there, and the mosque works with other organizations and people of all faiths on social causes.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy groups in the U.S., condemned the shooting.
"No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school," said CAIR-San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam in a statement. "We are working to learn more about this incident and we encourage everyone to keep this community in your prayers."
Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said he was being briefed.
"We are grateful to the first responders on the scene working to protect the community and urge everyone to follow guidance from local authorities," his office posted on the social platform X.
