San Diego bishop condemns ‘senseless’ deadly shooting at mosque

San Diego Bishop Michael Pham condemned the “senseless act of violence” at a local Islamic mosque on May 18, an attack that left five people dead — three victims and two teenage suspects who died by suicide.

The city government said police responded to the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego just before noon on May 18. Three adult victims, including a security guard, were found dead outside of the center, while the two suspects — aged 17 and 19 — were found dead several blocks away with self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

The FBI is helping with the investigation, the city said. The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.

In a statement released on May 18, Pham said the local Catholic community “stand[s] united in solidarity and prayer with the Muslim community” in San Diego.

Decrying the “senseless act of violence” at the mosque, Pham said the Islamic Center of San Diego “has been a longtime partner in our collaborative work for justice, especially in accompanying immigrants.”

“Houses of worship must always be sanctuaries of peace, safety, and prayer,” the bishop said. “An attack on one faith community is an attack on the sacred dignity of all human life.”

The bishop offered his “deepest condolences, solidarity, and fervent prayers to the families of the victims and the entire Muslim community.”

As of the morning of May 19 police had not yet released information about the suspects in the shooting; their names were being withheld “pending notifications,” according to the city government.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the Islamic Center said it had lost “three pillars of our community,” including the security guard, who “gave his life protecting the children and community members” of the facility.

The three men who were killed “put themselves on the line for our [mosque] and our community,” the center said, describing them as “men of courage, sacrifice, and faith.”

In another post the mosque said it had established a victim support fund for those impacted by the tragedy.

On its website the center said it was “closed until further notice.” The facility opened in 1989 and is the largest mosque in San Diego County.

The mosque was the target of a bomb attack in 1991 when an explosive device was found in a bathroom there. The device did not explode and nobody was injured in the incident.