Police were searching for teens behind San Diego mosque shooting before the bloodshed began

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Before the first shot rang out at a San Diego mosque in a deadly shooting that would leave three men dead, police were already scrambling to find two teenagers who would ultimately be responsible.

The search began after a mother of one of the teenagers reported her son was suicidal and had run away, according to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, who said weapons were missing from the home and her vehicle was gone.

Two hours later, the shooting began at the Islamic Center of San Diego, just blocks away from the home.

The suspects, ages 17 and 18, were found in a vehicle after killing themselves a few blocks from the site of the shooting.

Authorities planned to execute search warrants related to the investigation Tuesday as they piece together how and why the shooting unfolded. There was no specific threat made against the Islamic center, but authorities found evidence that the suspects engaged in “generalized hate rhetoric," Wahl said, noting that the shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.

The center, which said it was closed until further notice, is the largest mosque in San Diego and typically holds five daily prayers.

“These were men who put themselves on the line for our masjid and our community,” the center wrote in a Facebook post, using the Arabic word for mosque. “Men of courage, sacrifice, and faith. Their absence leaves a void that can never truly be filled.”

On Monday morning, the search for the missing teen intensified as law enforcement began to gather more details. Police learned he had dressed in camouflage and was with an acquaintance. Officers used automated license plate readers to track the car and went to a mall in the area. They also alerted a school where at least one of the teens had been a student and continued interviewing the mother, Wahl said.

When reports of the shooting came in, police responded within four minutes of being called. Three men were dead when they arrived, Wahl said.

Among those killed was a security guard, who police believe “played a pivotal role” in keeping the attack from being “much worse,” Wahl said.

“It’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” the chief said at a news conference. “Undoubtedly he saved lives today.”

A family friend identified the guard as Amin Abdullah, a well-known face at the mosque who had worked there for more than a decade.

“He wanted to defend the innocent so he decided to become a security guard,” said Shaykh Uthman Ibn Farooq, who spoke with Abdullah's son.

The family could not immediately be reached for comment.

The center called him “a courageous man who put himself on the line of the safety of others, who even in his last moments did not stop protecting our community.”

The mosque is in a neighborhood of homes, apartments and strip malls with Middle Eastern restaurants and markets. The center includes the Al Rashid School, which offers courses in Arabic language, Islamic studies and the Quran for students ages 5 and up, according to its website.

Aerial TV footage showed more than a dozen children holding hands and being walked out of the center's parking lot as it was surrounded by scores of police vehicles.

Imam Taha Hassane, the mosque's director, called it “extremely outrageous to target a place of worship,” adding that the center focused on interfaith relations and community building.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy groups in the U.S., condemned the shooting.

“No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school,” CAIR-San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam said in a statement.

President Donald Trump called the shooting a “terrible situation.”

Johnson reported from Seattle. Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

People stand behind police tape at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Two men embrace at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A body is covered with a tarp at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

People embrace near the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The guard with the headband carried the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.

No, not that one.

With reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander largely bottled up by San Antonio's defense, it was another headband-clad guard — Alex Caruso — who tried to come to the rescue in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. He played the best game of his playoff career and maybe one of his best, period.

It was nearly enough: Caruso hit eight 3-pointers and finished with 31 points, the second-most of his career, but the Thunder fell to Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs 122-115 in double overtime.

“He’s an incredible competitor,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “His shot-making kept us in it while we were trying to find our footing offensively."

It wasn't just the offense. Caruso — basically a foot shorter than Wembanyama — was Oklahoma City's most effective defender against the Spurs star. Caruso battled, clawed, scrapped and whatever else the referees would allow to give the Thunder a chance. Wembanyama finished with 41 points and 24 rebounds, but he needed to dig deep into his own bag of tricks late in the first overtime with a long, game-tying 3-pointer.

Otherwise, Caruso would have been the hero.

“It’s one of those things where you’re just trying to make whatever the play is in front of you to win the game,” Caruso said. "For me tonight, it was getting a bunch of shots and they were going in, so I just kept running with it.

"Even then trying to still do the other stuff I do defensively to create a lot of havoc, get to the rim a couple of times. It’s the playoffs, Game 1 at home ... you’re trying to do whatever it takes to win the game.”

Caruso scored 16 points in the first half on 6-for-10 shooting with four 3s to give the Thunder a much-needed lift after the Spurs jumped out to a big lead. He kept Oklahoma City in the game with 14 points after halftime, including a 3 from 26 feet to give the Thunder a 95-94 lead with 1:51 left in regulation — after the defending champions were down by 10 earlier in the fourth.

His 23-foot corner 3 pulled Oklahoma City within 105-104 with 2:21 left in the first overtime.

Caruso had three 20-point games in last season's playoffs, a big reason why the Thunder won the NBA title. He had exactly zero 20-point games in the 2025-26 regular season — more proof that when the playoffs roll around, he shows up.

“He's a gamer," Thunder guard Jalen Williams said. “So, whatever is needed, he's going to do.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso celebrates with guard Jalen Williams (8) after a 3-pointer during the second half of Game 1 in a third-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the San Antonio Spurs Monday, May 18, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso celebrates after a 3-pointer during the second half of Game 1 in a third-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the San Antonio Spurs Monday, May 18, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso celebrates a 3-pointer during the first half of Game 1 in a third-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the San Antonio Spurs Monday, May 18, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)