Security guard hailed as hero in San Diego mosque shooting that killed 3

A security guard at a San Diego mosque is being remembered for courageous actions that authorities say saved lives during an attack that left three people dead.

The guard, Amin Abdullah, a father of eight, was among those killed at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, according to Tazheen Nizam, a spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations-San Diego (CAIR-SD).

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl described Abdullah’s actions as heroic, stating at a Monday news conference, “It’s fair to say his actions were heroic. Undoubtedly, he saved lives today.”

Abdullah and two other victims—identified by CAIR-SD as Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad—were fatally shot by two teenage attackers who later died by suicide.

Those who knew Abdullah told U.S. media he was a dedicated community caretaker. Social media users described him as “the nicest man you’ll ever meet.”

The mosque released a statement calling Abdullah “a courageous man who put himself on the line for the safety of others, who even in his last moments did not stop protecting our community.”

A family friend, speaking to the Associated Press, said Abdullah was well-known at the mosque and had worked there for more than a decade.

Shaykh Uthman Ibn Farooq told the AP, “He wanted to defend the innocent so he decided to become a security guard.”

Sam Hamideh, who knew Abdullah through the mosque, told BBC’s U.S. partner CBS News that the guard would be remembered for his kindness.

“It didn’t matter who walked up… any random person could just walk up and, like, [Abdullah] would greet them, make sure they are OK,” Hamideh said. “Whether they were homeless off the street looking for something, whether it was a child or elderly.”

The deadly shooting unfolded Monday after the mother of one of the alleged attackers called police to report her son had run away with a friend and may be suicidal.

Hours later, as officers searched for the two teenagers, they found three victims with gunshot wounds outside the Islamic Center of San Diego, including Abdullah.

Shortly after, police located the two suspects—aged 17 and 18—dead from self-inflicted wounds in a vehicle blocks from the mosque.

Wahl said the shooting is being investigated as a hate crime, noting that “hate rhetoric” was involved.