(SAN DIEGO) — Amin Abdullah, the security guard who was killed along with two others in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, is being hailed as a hero as police say “his actions were heroic and undoubtedly saved lives.”
The shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in San Diego County, was reported shortly before noon local time, police said.
While officers were responding to the mosque, the police department “began to receive calls from just a couple blocks away that we had more active gunfire,” officials said at a news conference Monday.
The security guard appeared to play a “pivotal role” in keeping the shooting from “being much worse,” police said, noting that the victims were all found in front of the Islamic Center.
After the gunmen ran past him, the security guard observed the threat at the mosque and began to “engage [suspects] with gunfire,” with both suspects returning fire, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said at a press conference Tuesday.
The guard then radioed in the lockdown protocol before continuing to “engage in a gun battle with these two suspects,” Wahl said.
“His actions, without a doubt, delayed, distracted and ultimately deterred these two individuals from gaining access to the greater areas of the mosque where as many as 140 kids were within 15 feet of these suspects,” Wahl said.
“Tragically, he died in that gun battle,” Wahl said.
The two other victims killed in the shooting, “drew the attention” of the suspects into a parking lot, “where they were unfortunately unable to flee,” Wahl said. They were cornered by the suspects and killed, Wahl said.
The massive response to the shooting forced the two suspects to flee to their vehicle.
“All three of our victims did not die in vain,” Wahl said.
Abdullah “risked his own life to alert the school and other individuals inside regarding the active shooter. He is the definition of a hero who bravely made the ultimate sacrifice to save others over himself,” the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement Tuesday.
Islamic Center of San Diego Imam Taha Hassane called Abdallah “a lovely person,”
“He never, never stopped smiling for anyone, our community members as well as our visitors. If it was not for him, as chief mentioned, the carnage would be much worse,” Hassane said.
“We are so proud of him,” Hassane said.
Two other victims killed in the shooting have been identified by San Diego authorities as Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad.
Kaziha, known as Abu Ezz, was “a community leader who managed the mosque store for nearly 40 years and was a loving husband, father and grandfather,” CAIR said.
Kaziha is the “pillar of the Islamic Center of San Diego” and has been since 1986, who provided daily assistance at the mosque with whatever needed to be done, Hassane said.
“I don’t know what I am going to do at the Islamic Center without his daily assistance. We miss him,” Hassane said.
Kaziha was the first person to call 911, Hassane said.
Awad “turned away community members from the bullets and saved lives,” CAIR said.
Awad lived across the street from the Islamic Center and his wife is a teacher at the Islamic school.
“When he heard the shooting he rushed to do something, to protect and he joined Mansour Kaziha. They died together,” Hassane said.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily said that multiple search warrants have been executed in multiple locations. Numerous firearms were seized from two of those locations.
The FBI is also conducting interviews with the families of the suspects.
“These subjects did not discriminate on who they hated,” Remily said.
Vice President JD Vance called the shooting “reprehensible” and “totally unacceptable” during a press conference at the White House Tuesday.
“I encourage every single American to pray for everybody who was involved and affected by it,” Vance said.
Sam Hamideh, whose son attends the school next to the Islamic Center, told ABC News’ San Diego affiliate KGTV that Abdullah would have done anything to help the people inside.
“Even when the day was going wrong you could just smile … he just had that kind of heart and he always really cared,” Hamideh said.
Both suspects, ages 17 and 18, are dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, police said.
Authorities are investigating a potential motive but said the shooting is currently being considered a hate crime.
“There was definitely hate rhetoric that was involved,” Wahl said.
Anti-Islamic writings were found in the vehicle with the two teens, sources told ABC News.
“We have never experienced a tragedy like this before,” Taha Hassan, director of the Islamic Center of San Diego, said at a news conference.
Hassan said he’s sending “prayers and standing in solidarity with all the families in our community here, and also the other mosques, and all the places of worship in our beautiful city.”
Tazheen Nizam, the executive director of the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement, “We strongly condemn this horrifying act of violence. Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this attack. No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school.”
-ABC News’ Emily Shapiro and Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
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