Washington: Five people are dead including two teenage suspects after a shooting at the largest mosque in San Diego, California.
Police chief Scott Wahl said officers were called to the Islamic Centre of San Diego – which includes an adjacent school – at 11.43am local time on Monday following reports of an active shooter.
They discovered three adult males apparently deceased outside the centre, Wahl said, while simultaneously receiving reports about additional gunfire nearby.
Moments later, police were called to a nearby location where two people – believed to be the shooters – were found dead inside a vehicle in the middle of the street, he said.
“The suspects appear to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. We believe them to be 17 and 19.”
Wahl said one of the deceased victims was a security guard who worked at the mosque. “I think [he] played a pivotal role in assisting from this being much worse.”
A major police presence was outside the Islamic Centre in the aftermath of the incident, consisting of 50 to 100 officers, officials said. California Governor Gavin Newsom had been briefed on the incident, his office said.
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.
