A shooting outside a San Diego Islamic Centre on 18 May 2026 left 3 adult men dead. Authorities praised a slain security guard whose heroic actions prevented the attack from becoming much worse.

The 2 teenage suspects, aged 17 and 19, died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds in a nearby vehicle. The mother of one suspect had earlier reported her son missing along with multiple weapons.

San Diego police and the FBI are investigating the fatal attack as a hate crime. Authorities discovered a suicide note containing white supremacist rhetoric and hate speech scrawled on one weapon.

US President Donald Trump described the deadly shooting as a terrible situation during an official briefing. He lamented the incident as federal investigators moved in to support local police.

1. Why is this being treated as a hate crime?

Police confirmed finding hate rhetoric in a note left behind by a suspect, and hate speech scrawled on a weapon.

2. What weapons were used in the attack?

The shooters used guns taken from a suspect's mother, who reported multiple weapons missing before the shooting.

3. What did Donald Trump say about the shooting?

President Trump publicly lamented the shooting at the California venue, calling it a terrible situation.

- Generated by AI