Five people, including two shooters, were killed in an incident at the Islamic Centre of San Diego on Monday, law enforcement officials said.
“What we know at this time is that there are three deceased adult males,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said, referring to the three victims, adding that the two shooters had also been killed. The shooters were reported aged 17 and 19.
Wahl, speaking at a news conference after authorities had previously declared the threat had been “neutralised,” said one of the deceased was a security guard who worked at the centre.
“Because of the Islamic center location, we are considering this a hate crime until it’s not, and at this point we’re going to work closely with the FBI to make sure that we are matching all the resources that we need for this investigation,” he added.
Wahl also said that all children at the centre, which includes a school on site, were “safe.”
Earlier on Monday, authorities had said officers were responding to reports of an active shooter incident at the centre, located in the Clairemont neighbourhood near the 7 000 block of Eckstrom Avenue. – AA
