Among three people killed in shooting islamic center of san diego San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said the security guard, named Amin Abdullah, is believed to have acted to minimize the level of carnage.
Authorities said the attack occurred outside a mosque in San Diego’s Claremont neighborhood, where Abdullah was manning security when gunfire erupted.
“We do believe security can at least help minimize the situation at the front of the mosque,” Wahl said.
Wahl said the guards appeared to have acted quickly; however, investigators have not yet compiled all the information.
“I think it’s fair to say that his actions were heroic at this point,” Wahl said. “There’s no doubt he saved lives today.”
Read more: Who are Kane Clark and Caleb Vazquez? Suspect in San Diego Islamic Center shooting identified
Community remembers Amin Abdullah
Amin Abdullah is remembered by community members for his last moments trying to protect worshipers from gunfire during one of the most disturbing attacks on the city’s Muslim community.
Omar Suleiman, founder of the nonprofit Yaqen Institute, said Amin Abdullah “played an important role” in limiting today’s massacres in mosques.
He shared Amin Abdullah’s last post on Facbeook with the caption: “Brother Amin Abdullah has been a guard at the Santiago mosque for many years. Today he played an important role in preventing the gunmen from reaching children. This is his last post on FB. In these holy days, may Allah have mercy on him and accept him as a martyr. Amin”
The Asian Legal Caucus, one of the nation’s oldest civil rights groups focused on Asian American and Muslim communities, condemned the violence and urged authorities to fully investigate possible hate crime elements related to the attack. The group also called for stronger protections for religious institutions that are increasingly under threat across the United States.
The organization has also launched a fundraiser for Amin Abdullah’s family. The description reads: “Amin was a security guard at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Police say his actions prevented Monday’s attack from becoming more serious. Remember his legacy!”
As of the time of this report, the LaunchGood fundraiser has raised $657,685.
Shooting is being investigated as a hate crime
A suicide note shared by the mother of one of the suspects contained language that authorities described as “general hate speech.”
The suspect’s mother said “several of her weapons” and her car were missing and she feared her son was suicidal.
Wahl did not reveal any other details about the contents of the suicide note, but he said they are investigating the shooting as a hate crime and involved “hate speech.”
Police said the suspect Kane ClarkCaleb Vazquez, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, believe the suspect, who was found dead in a car a few blocks from the Islamic Center, shot himself.
Wahl said the officer who spoke to the mother earlier in the morning after she reported her son had run away believed “there was a greater threat here that we needed to consider.”
