Amin Abdullah, the safety guard who was killed together 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 had been heroic and undoubtedly saved lives.”
The taking pictures on the Islamic Middle of San Diego, the biggest mosque in San Diego County, was reported shortly earlier than midday native time, police mentioned.
Whereas officers had been responding to the mosque, the police division “started to obtain calls from only a couple blocks away that we had extra lively gunfire,” officers mentioned at a information convention Monday.
The safety guard appeared to play a “pivotal position” in preserving the taking pictures from “being a lot worse,” police mentioned, noting that the victims had been all present in entrance of the Islamic Middle.
“His actions had been heroic and undoubtedly saved lives as we speak,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said of Abdullah.
“We do imagine the safety guard was in a position to assist at the very least decrease the state of affairs to the entrance space of the mosque,” Wahl continued.
Sam Hamideh, whose son attends the varsity subsequent to the Islamic Middle, informed ABC Information’ San Diego affiliate KGTV that Abdullah would have finished something to assist the individuals inside.
“Even when the day was going unsuitable you possibly can simply smile … he simply had that sort of coronary heart and he at all times actually cared,” Hamideh mentioned.
Each suspects, ages 17 and 18, are lifeless from obvious self-inflicted gunshot wounds, police mentioned.
Authorities are investigating a possible motive however mentioned the taking pictures is at present being thought of a hate crime.
“There was undoubtedly hate rhetoric that was concerned,” Wahl mentioned.
Anti-Islamic writings had been discovered within the automobile with the 2 teenagers, sources informed ABC Information.
“Now we have by no means skilled a tragedy like this earlier than,” Taha Hassan, director of the Islamic Middle of San Diego, mentioned at a information convention.
Hassan mentioned he is sending “prayers and standing in solidarity with all of the households in our neighborhood right here, and likewise the opposite mosques, and all of the locations of worship in our stunning metropolis.”
Tazheen Nizam, the chief director of the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, mentioned in a press release, “We strongly condemn this horrifying act of violence. Our ideas are with everybody impacted by this assault. Nobody ought to ever concern for his or her security whereas attending prayers or finding out at an elementary faculty.”
-ABC Information’ Emily Shapiro and Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
