San Diego Mayor Addresses Mosque Shooting

(MENAFN) The mayor of the US city of San Diego strongly condemned Islamophobia on Monday after teenage attackers opened gunfire at a neighborhood mosque, leaving three individuals dead in an incident authorities say is being examined as a possible hate crime.

"Hate has no home in San Diego. Islamophobia has no home in San Diego. An attack on any San Diegan is an attack on all San Diegans, and we will not stand for it," Mayor Todd Gloria stated to journalists during a media briefing held just hours after the deadly assault.

"Let there be no misunderstanding for anyone who would seek to bring this kind of violence to this city: you will be met with the full force of our law enforcement partnerships. Anyone who seeks to do harm here will understand the response will be swift, and you will be brought to justice," he further emphasized.

Three victims, among them a security officer, lost their lives at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday. Officials have not yet disclosed the identities of those killed.

San Diego Police Department Chief Scott Wahl explained that while officers were heading to the location, authorities also received reports of another nearby shooting. Responding officers discovered a landscaper who may have been struck in a protective helmet that "that deflected and saved his life."

"A couple blocks away from there, we also received a call where a community member reported our two suspects in a vehicle, and it appeared they had gunshot wounds, and upon our arrival, we determined they were deceased," he noted.

Earlier, law enforcement representatives confirmed that the suspects died from self-inflicted gunshot injuries.

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