Three people dead in apparent hate crime at San Diego mosquenewsline24

May 18 (UPI) — Three people were killed in a shooting late Monday morning at the Islamic Center of San Diego, authorities said.

Two teenage suspects in the shootings were found in a car near the scene, dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, law enforcement officers said at a press conference. Authorities said that they’re considering the mosque shootings a hate crime, and the San Diego police chief said there was “definitely hate rhetoric” involved.

The first reports of the shooting came in about 11:43 a.m. local time, police said. Up to 100 police officers arrived at the scene and found three people dead outside the mosque. Police searched the building and eventually cleared the scene.

As officers were responding, they were also called to another reported shooting a few blocks away, police said. A man there was shot at but not hit.

Police were then called to yet another location, where they found the bodies of the suspects, ages 17 and 19, in a vehicle.

One of the people in the shooting was a security guard at the mosque, and his “heroic” actions likely kept the death toll from being much worse, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said.

The Islamic Center of San Diego is in the Clairemont neighborhood of the city. It’s the largest mosque in San Diego.

Wahl said one of the suspects allegedly took weapons from his mother’s home before the attack. He said police are “actively investigating” the shooting as a hate crime.

“At this point, there was definitely hate rhetoric that was involved,” Wahl said.

Imam Taha Hassane, director of the center, said it was “outrageous to target a place of worship,” CNN reported.

“We have never experienced a tragedy like this before,”Hassane said. “And at this moment, all I can say is sending our prayers and standing in solidarity with all the families in our community here.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a social media post that the state sends its “deepest condolences” to the families and communities affected in the shooting.

“Hate has no place in California,” he said. “To the San Diego Muslim community: we stand with you.”

After the shooting, police departments in some of the United States’ largest cities said they were increasing security at mosques and other houses of worship.