What we know about the San Diego shooting victims, suspects, possible motive and more

U.S. newsWhat we know about the San Diego shooting victims, suspects, possible motive and moreSan Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl described the shooting, which left three people dead, as “every community’s worst nightmare.”Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleDeadly shooting at San Diego Islamic center02:45Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 18, 2026, 9:18 PM EDT / Updated May 18, 2026, 9:18 PM EDTBy Tim StellohTwo teenage gunmen are believed to have killed three people at a San Diego mosque Monday before they took their own lives, authorities said.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Investigators are working to determine a motive, but the San Diego police chief described the killings as a possible hate crime.The chief, Scott Wahl, said the event was “every community’s worst nightmare.”Follow live coverage here.Here’s what we know about the shooting.People stand behind police tape at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego, in San Diego, Calif., on Monday.Gregory Bull / APThe victimsAuthorities responded to a report of an active shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego, described on the center’s website as the largest mosque in San Diego County, at 11:43 a.m., Wahl said.The mosque is in San Diego’s Clairemont neighborhood, roughly 8 miles north of downtown.Officers arrived at the scene four minutes later and found three adult men dead in front of the mosque, Wahl said.One of the men was a security guard whom Wahl said was “pivotal” in preventing more bloodshed. “At this point, I think it’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” Wahl said. “Undoubtedly, he saved lives today.”The victims were not identified Monday.As the officers deployed what Wahl described as an active shooter response at the mosque and at an adjacent school, more gunfire was reported blocks away, the chief said.A landscaper who was working in the area was shot at...