Teen suspects shoot and kpai three for suspected hate crime for San Diego mosque

Wetin we call dis Video, Police don reveal timeline afta deadly attack for San Diego mosque
    • Author, Sareen Habeshian
    • Reporting from, Los Angeles
    • Author, Max Matza
  • Published
  • Read am in 5 mins

Two teenage attackers shoot and kpai three men for one mosque for San Diego California for suspected hate crime bifor dem take dia lives, according to police.

Di shooting bin happun for Monday morning, two hours afta di mama of one of di suspects call police to tell dem say her pikin wey dey possibly suicidal don run away wit one of im friends.

Police bin don alreadi start to dey look for dem wen di attack happun for di Islamic Center of San Diego and na dia dem find three victims wit gunshot wound for outside di front of di mosque.

Later, dem kon get anoda call say pipo bin hear shots fired for one motor wey dey close by. Na so officers kon find di suspects wey dey aged 17 and 18 as dem don die from wounds wey dem give demsefs some distance away from di church.

Among di victims wey die na di security guard wey dey work for di centre, wey police hail say na im play beta role to make sure say di attack no worse pass how e dey.

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl tok say, "E dey fair to call wetin e do heroic. True-true e save lives today."

Authorities neva yet get di names of di victims. But pesin wey bin know di security guard tell CBS wey be BBC US partner, say e be papa of eight pikin dem.

Members of the Muslim community in San Diego react after shooting at their mosque on 18 May 2026

Wia dis foto come from, EPA

Investigators tok say di reason for di attack no dey known but dem dey reason am as hate crime bicos of di mosque wey be di biggest one for San Diego County and bicos of di writings wey dey linked to one of di suspects.

Dem first call police come di mosque for 11:43 local time (18:43 GMT) and na dia Wahl tok say dem "torchlight wetin happun to be three deceased victims out front".

"No officers dey involved in firing dia weapons," Wahl tok, and sign of any gunman no dey.

About two hours bifor di attacks, di mama of one of di suspects bin call police to report say her pikin don comot house wit many of her guns and her car.

Di woman say im bin follow pesin comot and di two of dem wear camouflage.

Wahl tok say police find di suspect behaviour say e no be like pesin wey dey considered suicidal.

E tok say one note di youth bin leave behind bin also get "generalised hate rhetoric and hate speech".

Wahl bin add say di note bn no get any specific threats to di mosque or to any oda location or individual.

Investigators bin go one local high school wia one of di teens bin dey go and to shopping mall wia dem track di car reach.

Rema Abedkader reacts after the mosque shooting in San Diego, California, on 18 May 2026

Wia dis foto come from, EPA

Wen di shooting happun, officers bin still dey follow di mama tok and bin just dey few blocks from di mosque.

Dis officers, as dem find di three victims outside di building, rush go inside and start to dey do active shooter protocols.

As dem dey clear rooms, na im dem hear of anoda shooting nearby.

Di suspects bin open fire inside dia motor for one landscaper wey bin dey uninjured, according to police.

Wahl tok say one bullet fit don fly off di landscaper hard hat, even though dis one neva dey confirmed.

Wen police reach di second location from di mosque, na dia dem see di dead bodi of di two suspects dem.

Children bin dey class as dis mata bin dey happun on Monday. Dis na as di Islamic Center campus get di Al Rashid School, wey dey run religion and language courses.

A woman in headscarf speaks to police near the mosque

Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images

One air video from di scene on Monday show children as dem dey hold hands and waka through car park for di centre as police respond.

Schools nearly also bin dey placed for lockdown.

Di FBI bin beg di public to bring any informate wey fit help di investigation.

One witness wey follow CBS tok say e bin hear up to 30 gunshots from wetin sound like "a semi-automatic weapon".

E tok say e bin first hear about one dozen shots bifor e pause and den anoda about dozen shots.

Di man wey don retire and bin dey chop lunch for house say e call 911 and say police land within "five to 10 minutes".

Imam Taha Hassane, director of di Islamic Center of San Diego, tok give tori pipo say, "e dey extremely outrageous to target place of worship."

E add say di place na "house of worship, no be battlefield".

Di Muslim community dey now prepare for one of dia holiest seasons and dia biggest feasts.

Na just days till di Eid al-Adha, or di Festival of Sacrifice wey dey celebrate di obedience of Prophet Ibrahim.

California Govnor Gavin Newsom release statement say e bin dey "horrified by today violent attack" for di centre "wia families and pikin dey gada and neighbours dey worship in peace and fellowship".

Newsom add say di sate "no go tolerate acts of terror or intimidation against communities of faith".

Wen dem ask US President Donald Trump about di shooting on Monday, e call am "terrible situation".

E tok for White House event say "I don dey given some early updates but we go go back and look am veri strongly".