Disturbing police audio has unveiled the harrowing scene as law enforcement responded to the tragic shooting at a San Diego mosque, where three individuals lost their lives.
The city’s police department was dispatched to the Islamic Center of San Diego following reports of gunfire on Monday.
Amid the turmoil, officers frantically searched for the two teenage suspects while simultaneously providing life-saving assistance to the victims, as captured in the radio transmissions.
An officer reported, “We have two more individuals down on the north side of the mosque.”
In response, another officer confirmed, “There are two suspects, one armed with an automatic weapon and the other with a shotgun.”
The officers communicated their positions and discussed their strategic actions as they coordinated efforts around the building.
The hunt for the two suspects then played out over the airwaves as officers tried to pinpoint their exact location.
‘Two white males, they are wearing all camo’ one officer could be heard saying as they located the shooters.
Officers with the city’s police department responded to the Islamic Center of San Diego after shots rang out
A vehicle used by the suspects is seen here outside of the mosque on Monday
‘We’re going to grab these two victims’ one officer called, adding that they needed ‘life saving measures’.
The suspects were then found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds after the rampage outside the house of worship.
They were identified by police sources as Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, according to NBC News.
Officials also told CNN that hate speech was inscribed on one of the weapons used in the attack.
Authorities said at a Monday night news conference that police first received a call about a ‘runaway juvenile’.
A mother of one of the teens reported that her son was suicidal, and several of her weapons were missing.
She had also found a note that her son left behind. ‘That began to trigger a larger threat assessment picture,’ Police Chief Scott Wahl said.
Officials told CNN that hate speech was inscribed on one of the weapons used in the attack
As police arrived, gunshots rang out a few blocks away where a landscaper was shot at but uninjured
Police described both teens as being dressed in ‘camo fatigue’ and referred to the car they used as a 2018 BMW X1 SUV, on their radios shortly after the incident.
One officer said on the radio that guns ‘stolen from the house’ included ‘a 9mm handgun, a shotgun and a mini 14’.
Police used license plate readers to try to find the teens, dispatched authorities to a mall and alerted Madison High School, where at least one suspect was a student, Wahl said.
Officers were still interviewing the mother about places the teens might be when they received reports of a shooting at the mosque.
As police arrived, gunshots rang out a few blocks away where a landscaper was shot at but uninjured.
There was no specific threat made against the mosque but authorities found evidence that the suspects engaged in ‘hate rhetoric,’ Wahl said.
Panicked parents arrived at the scene to retrieve their children after two teenage gunmen opened fire
One of those who was killed was security guard Amin Abdullah, a father of eight children.
His friend Anees Faraj, a fellow security guard at the mosque who was not working, described the events as shocking and confirmed Amin as the guard who died.
Police Chief Wahl said that Amin and his actions helped prevent an even deadlier attack.
On Monday night Wahl said: ‘His actions were heroic and he undoubtedly saved lives today.’
The imam of the mosque confirmed that no children were injured during the shooting.
The place of worship is also home to the Al Rashid school. Kids in kindergarten through third grade attend the school.
