A total of five people including two teenage gunmen — who inscribed anti-Muslim hate messages on their weapons — are dead after a shooting at a San Diego mosque.

Officers responded to the Islamic Center of San Diego for a report of an active shooter around 11:43 a.m. Monday.

Outside the center were three adult men dead from gunshot wounds, according to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, who spoke to the media after the shooting.

“All of our kids are safe. Our hearts go out to the families who, in this moment, are being notified of what has happened to their loved ones,” Wahl said.

Officers were on scene  just four minutes after the initial call came in, according to Wahl.

While clearing the inside of the mosque, another person called 911 to report gun shots only a few blocks away. A man doing landscaping work claimed he had been shot at by a passing vehicle, though the bullets missed, Wahl said.

Red gas can with an SS symbol on it.
A gas container with an ”SS” sticker was seen outside the gunman’s car.Anadolu via Getty Images
Only a short distance away from where the landscaper had been shot at, officers located a white BMW stopped in the middle of the roadway with two suspects dead from what appeared to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds, according to Wahl.

A woman crying with her hand on her chest at the scene of a shooting.
A woman cries at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego.AP Photo/Gregory Bull

A body covered with a tarp at the scene of a shooting.
A body seen covered with a tarp at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026. What appears to be ammunition, possibly a shotgun shell, is seen near the body.AP Photo/Gregory Bull

Muslim community members at the scene of an active shooter situation at the Islamic Center, with yellow police tape in the foreground.
Members of the Muslim community use their phones at the scene of a reported active shooter situation at the Islamic Center, with yellow tape placed behind them to cordon the area, in San Diego, on May 18, 2026.REUTERS

Police stage outside the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Police stage outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026.Denis Poroy for CA Post

Parents waiting for their children to be released from a preschool next to the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Parents wait for for their children to be released from a pre-school next to the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026.Denis Poroy for CA Post
The suspects were 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Velasquez, a law enforcement source told The Post. Clark was a wrestler at Madison High School.

Anti-Islamic writings were found inside the BMW, and at least one suspect took a firearm from their parents’ home, leaving a suicide note behind that included writing about racial pride, a law enforcement source told The Post.

Hate speech was also written on one of the firearms used, the source said. A photo captured from the scene of where the suspects were located showed one of their bodies on the ground and a shotgun next to the vehicle. There was also a gas can with an “SS” sticker on the side.

It appears the “SS” may have represented the Schutzstaffel, the paramilitary organization led by Heinrich Himmler under the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler.

Police revealed that around 9:42 a.m. they had received a call of a runaway juvenile from a concerned mother. After speaking with the mom, police began to elevate the threat level the individual posed to the community.

The mom allegedly believed her son was suicidal and shared that several of her weapons were missing, as was her vehicle, according to police. The mom also said her son was with a companion and that they were dressed in camo.

People behind police tape at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego.
People stand behind police tape at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego.AP Photo/Gregory Bull

A body covered by a yellow tarp at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego.
A body is covered with a tarp at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, May 18, 2026.AP Photo/Gregory Bull

A woman in sunglasses watches at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego, her hand covering her mouth in distress.
A woman sobs and watches from a distance at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026.AP Photo/Gregory Bull

A woman with curly brown hair embraces another person, her eyes closed in distress, outside the Islamic Center of San Diego after a shooting.
Women embrace at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026.AP Photo/Gregory Bull

Police officers and a civilian stand near yellow police tape at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego.
People walk under police tape at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday.AP Photo/Gregory Bull

Timeline of the San Diego shooting:

11:43 a.m. — SDPD receives reports of an active shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego on the 7000 block of Eckstrom Ave. in Clairemont.
11:47 a.m. — Officers arrive to find three adults dead outside the center, including security guard Amin Abdullah. They immediately enter the building and adjacent school to hunt for the shooter.
11:52 a.m. — Two blocks away on the 7100 block of Salerno St., new calls come in: a landscaper has been shot at. He survived.
Minutes later — Officers are called to the 3800 block of Hatton St., where they find a white BMW stopped in the street with what appear to be the suspects inside, a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old — both dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
1:06 p.m. — “The threat at the Islamic center has been neutralized,” SDPD wrote on X at 1:06 p.m.

The police would not clarify whether or not the missing person was involved in the shooting, though most of the details line up with what The Post was told.

Police officer detaining a person on the ground, with "POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS" tape visible.
A still from a video shows a person receiving CPR near the San Diego mosque shooting site.Reddit/@The_Clmt_kid420

Police officer attending to a person lying on the ground behind yellow caution tape.
A still from a video shows a person receiving CPR near the San Diego mosque shooting site.Reddit/@The_Clmt_kid420

Police officers leading a line of children away from an Islamic Center during an active shooter event.
Police officers leading a line of children away from the Islamic Center during an active shooter event.KGTV

Aerial view of police responding to a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
An aerial view of police responding to a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego, with a body on the ground.NBC

Report of active shooter at Islamic Center with police vehicles and personnel in parking lot.
An aerial view of the heavily armed police presence at the Islamic Center of San Diego.KGTV/ABC 10 News

Overhead view of an armed police officer on a pathway next to a fence and a grassy area with a wooden play structure.
An armed man seen from above at the Islamic Center of San Diego.ABC 10 News
One of the victims was a mosque security guard who “played a pivotal role in assisting, this could have been worse,” said Wahl at the press conference.

No children were physically injured and the FBI is assisting in the investigation.

Footage from the scene taken by a helicopter above showed one person in a tactical vest, presumably the security guard who was killed, laying face up outside the Islamic Center.

The other two victims, who have not been identified, were seen getting CPR from first responders near the scene of the shooting.

Emergency workers respond to an active shooter situation at the Islamic Center in San Diego.
Emergency workers respond at the scene of a reported active shooter situation at the Islamic Center in San Diego, California, U.S., May 18, 2026.REUTERS

Parents await their children at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Parents wait for for their children to be released from a pre-school next to the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026.Denis Poroy for CA Post
“Today, our city was shaken by a violent act at the Islamic Center of San Diego and my heart is with every person touched by this tragedy. No one in our city should ever have to fear for their safety in a house of faith and a place of learning,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said Monday night.

“I am grateful to the San Diego Police Department, our Fire-rescue personnel, and every first responder who moved toward danger to bring this threat to an end,” he added.