5 Dead in Shooting at Islamic center in San Diego, Others Injured

By Salvador Hernandez and Suhauna Hussain

May 18, 2026 Updated 1:18 PM PT

Two people were killed, including an armed security guard, after two shooters entered Islamic Center in San Diego Monday and opened fire, the chairman of the center told The Times.

Police swarmed the Islamic center in San Diego Monday morning after receiving reports of an active shooter and significant injuries. By 1 p.m. police said in a social media post that the threat had been “neutralized.”

The shooting occurred while a K through 12 school, which operates at the center and mosque, was in session. No children were injured in the incident, said Ahmed Shabaik, chairman for the Islamic Center in San Diego in a brief interview.

But Shabaik said officials learned two people have been killed at the center, including an armed security guard that confronted two shooters at the center. A third person who was at the mosque remains unaccounted for, he said.

“Unfortunately there are some casualties,” Shabaik said.

A spokesperson for San Diego Police did not confirm the number or extent of injuries. Police urged people to avoid the area near the mosque in the Clairemont district. Scores of officers were on the scene, according to TV footage.

Multiple people were cleared from the mosque, but police officials said they were still trying to get a handle on what occurred.

“Right now we’re still trying to find out what happened,” said Colin Steinbroner, spokesperson for the San Diego Police Department.

Tazheen Nizam, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in San Diego said children and teachers with the school were removed by police and taken to a nearby church.

Steinbroner said police were inside the Islamic Center of San Diego. Officers have also established a reunification location at 4125 Hathaway Street.

Units from San Diego Police and neighboring law enforcement agencies were responding to the area, Steinbroner said, after receiving reports of an active shooter.

“I am aware of the active shooter situation at the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont and am continuing to receive updates from law enforcement. Emergency personnel are on scene and actively working to protect the community and secure the area,” San Diego mayor Todd Gloria said on X.

Officials initially urged people in the area to shelter in place near the mosque at 7050 Eckstrom Avenue.