Amin Abdullah, 51, a security guard and father of eight, was killed on May 18 while confronting two teenage attackers who opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego, California [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, fired shots inside the mosque before fleeing and later dying from self-inflicted gunshot wounds several blocks away [1, 2, 3, 5]. Three people died in the attack: Abdullah, longtime mosque member and elder Mansour Kaziha, 78, and Nader Awad, 57, who lived nearby [1, 2, 5].
Abdullah engaged the attackers with gunfire and radioed for a lockdown, delaying their access to sections of the mosque where roughly 140 children were attending school at the time [2, 5]. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl praised Abdullah's actions as heroic, stating, "It's fair to say his actions were heroic. Undoubtedly, he saved lives today" and noted without Abdullah's intervention, "there would have been many more fatalities" [1, 2].
Imam Taha Hassane, director of the Islamic Center, said, "Without him, as chief mentioned, the carnage would be much worse. He's the one who stopped them, who slowed them down." He added, "Today is a message to everyone: Our community got hurt, but our community is standing strong and firm" [2, 5].
Abdullah had worked at the mosque for more than a decade and was a well-known, respected figure in the local community [1, 3, 4]. The attack is under investigation as a hate crime linked to anti-Muslim rhetoric [1, 5].
More than 2,000 people gathered on May 21 in San Diego to mourn Abdullah, Kaziha, and Awad with Islamic funeral prayers [5, 6]. Police and community leaders continue investigations into the attack, which claimed three lives and seriously shocked the community.
