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At least three men were fatally shot at a San Diego mosque Monday afternoon before two suspected shooters, both teenagers, were found dead nearby, the authorities said.
The police in San Diego and the F.B.I. said at a news conference that the bodies of the suspects were found in a vehicle near the mosque, the Islamic Center of San Diego, and they appeared to have died by self-inflicted gunshots. The police said one was 17 and the other 19.
The Islamic Center of San Diego, which hosts daily prayers, also includes a school on its grounds. The center’s imam said on social media that the school was safe.
The shooting occurred as a growing number of religious institutions across the nation have become targets of violence, prompting increases to security. In March, a man attacked a synagogue outside Detroit with a truck before he died in a confrontation with security guards.
Here’s what to know:
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Reassuring families: As parents of students at the school lined up on a nearby street, the Islamic Center’s imam, Taha Hassane, posted a video to social media assuring them: “We are safe. The entire school is safe. All the kids, all the staff, all the teachers are safe.”
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Guard reported dead: Ahmed Shabaik, the mosque’s chairman, wrote in an email that at least one person, a security guard, had been killed.
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Officials respond: Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said on social media that he had been briefed on the situation. Todd Gloria, the city’s mayor, urged the public to avoid the area.
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Federal investigators: Agents from the Los Angeles office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives rushed to the scene, and the F.B.I.’s San Diego field office said it is also assisting in the investigation.
