Two teenage attackers fatally shot three men at a mosque in San Diego, California, in a suspected hate crime, before taking their own lives, say police.
The assault took place on Monday morning as officers were investigating a call about a possibly suicidal teen who had run away from home.
Police were alerted to the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, and found three victims with gunshot wounds outside the front of the building.
Shortly afterwards, they received another call that shots had been fired nearby from a vehicle at a landscaper. Officers found the suspects – aged 17 and 18 – dead of self-inflicted wounds in a vehicle blocks away from the mosque.
Among the deceased victims was a security guard who worked at the centre and “played a pivotal role” in preventing the attack from being “much worse”, officials said.
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