Three killed in shooting at a California mosque; two suspects commit suicide

Three people were killed in shooting Group prayer at a mosque inside an Islamic center in San Diego State California American police reported on Monday that they later found the bodies of two young men inside a car, suspected of having carried out the attack and died by suicide.
Police said emergency crews found the victims inside the sprawling Islamic center in San Diego, before later finding the bodies of the two attackers, ages 19 and 17.
Aerial footage from a helicopter showed law enforcement officers gathered in front of a building inside the Islamic center, next to a body covered in blood.

Surrounding the area and neutralizing the threat

Police cars surrounded the Islamic Center, described on its website as the largest mosque in San Diego County, located in Southern California.
Shortly after the area was cordoned off and authorities urged residents to stay indoors, San Diego police announced the threat at the center had been neutralized.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wall told reporters, "We received a report of an active shooter at the Islamic Center, and within four minutes, officers arrived at the scene and immediately found three bodies in front of the center."
He added, "We immediately began responding to an active shooter at a mosque and a nearby school. Police also received calls about other shootings in the vicinity, including one where a landscaping worker was shot but unharmed."

Finding the perpetrators of the incident

Outside the Islamic center, police found a car with the two gunmen dead inside.
“It appears at this stage that the two suspects died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, and no police officers fired their weapons,” said Wall.
Police reported that one of the three dead was a security guard at the Islamic center, while the identities of the other two were not immediately clear.

Unprecedented tragedy

The director of the Islamic Center, Imam Taha Hassan, confirmed in a message that all the children, staff, and teachers were safe and had left the building.
He said, "We have never witnessed a tragedy like this before, and at this moment, all I can say is that we are praying and standing in solidarity with all the families in our community here."
He added, "It is utterly shameful to target a place of worship."