San Diego mosque shooter left mental health center day before attack: Report
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: The 18-year-old involved in the deadly San Diego mosque shooting walked away from a mental health facility just one day before the attack, despite having a firearms restraining order issued against him last year.
He and the 17-year-old accomplice carried out the massacre at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, May 18, killing three people before taking their own lives, even though authorities had received multiple prior warnings about both teenagers.
Teenagers had previous run-ins with law enforcement
The 18-year-old left the Park Mental Health Treatment Center the morning before the massacre, according to the New York Post.
Law enforcement sources noted that he already had a firearms restraining order issued against him after police conducted a welfare check at his Chula Vista home last year.
That initial visit was in response to a 911 call from 2025 alerting authorities to his disturbing social media posts.
The 17-year-old attacker also had a 911 call placed about him by his mother on the morning of the shooting after he left home with guns that were in the house.
Though both teens had been flagged to authorities, they still managed to drive to the Islamic Center of San Diego to carry out the deadly assault before fleeing into the nearby neighborhood, where they later took their own lives in their getaway car.
Teenagers left behind hate-filled manifesto
It may be noted that the two teens left behind a shocking, hate-filled manifesto praising Adolf Hitler and a slew of mass killings before launching the attack.
The document contained a wide range of hateful and discriminatory biases against various communities, specifically focusing on Muslims, Jewish people, and gay people, and outlined their hopes to instigate an "all-out race war" in order to force the collapse of society.
Law enforcement officials said that the pair were "radicalized online," wore Nazi symbols, and etched racist statements directly into their gear.
During a press conference on Tuesday, officials noted that the suspects "did not discriminate on who they hated," and revealed that investigators had recovered over 30 guns and a crossbow in connection to the case.
Victims of San Diego mosque shooting identified
The victims of the incident have been identified as Mansour Kaziha, Nader Awad, and security guard Amin Abdullah.
Abdullah was highly praised for his heroic actions in helping to prevent further casualties inside the building.
"We do believe the security guard was able to help at least minimize the situation to the front area of the mosque," San Diego police chief Scott Wahl said.
