San Diego Mosque Shooting Leaves Multiple People Dead and Injured

Three individuals identified as Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nader Awad were confirmed dead in a shooting incident at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday. Authorities have stated that all three victims played a role in responding to the attackers.

The mosque’s imam, Taha Hassane, has described the victims as “brothers in the community” and “martyrs and heroes.” Kaziha, 78, was a longtime employee of the mosque who had called the police before his death. He was married with five adult children and had been associated with the mosque since its construction in the 1980s.

Awad, 57, lived across the street from the Islamic Center and attended prayers daily. When he heard gunfire, he ran towards the building to help. His wife is a teacher at the school, and Awad was described as a devout member of the community who participated in prayers every day.

Abdullah, 51, was identified as one of the men killed in the attack. He had a Facebook profile with 1,800 followers and was listed as married with eight children. His daughter, Hawaa Abdullah, has spoken about her father’s heroic actions, stating that he took his job protecting the community seriously and would often go without food during his shifts.

Police have been investigating the incident as a hate crime. The two teenage attackers who opened fire at the mosque were later found dead of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Authorities have confirmed that the victims’ roles in responding to the attackers will be further investigated.

Source: Al Jazeera