Officials have identified the three people killed in Monday’s mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont Mesa.
Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nader Awad were killed Monday morning while protecting people inside the center from two gunmen, law enforcement officials outlined Tuesday.
Amin Abdullah worked as a security guard at the center, where he was described by locals as a familiar and beloved figure at its doors. His Facebook account shows an interest in archery and family; he was a husband and a father.
Abdullah “risked his own life to alert the school and other individuals inside regarding the active shooter,” said a statement from the San Diego chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations.
“When gunmen opened fire outside the Islamic Center of San Diego, Amin protected the community until his final moments,” the statement added. “Police say his actions prevented the attack from becoming far worse.”
Mosque officials called him a “beloved security guard, who gave his life protecting the children and community members of our masjid,” and “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 fundraiser for Abdullah’s family had already raised nearly $2 million by Tuesday morning.
Mansour Kaziha, who was known as “Abu Ezz,” was a community leader who managed the mosque store for nearly 40 years. As such, he was a well known figure in and around the Islamic Center, and was a husband, a father, and a grandfather whose love for his family was well known. He was shot while trying to keep the gunmen from entering the building.
Nader Awad also lost his life while defending the center from the gunmen. He lived across the street from the Islamic Center, and came running to help when he heard gunshots, according to the San Diego Islamic Center. He was killed while turning away community members from the bullets.
“These were men who put themselves on the line for our masjid and our community,” said a post from CAIR-SD. “Men of courage, sacrifice, and faith. Their absence leaves a void that can never truly be filled.
“They were more than community members, they were family.”
The shooters were able to get into the front lobby during the initial gunfight that ultimately killed Amin. Then they went back into the building, but not before Amin put out a lockdown protocol.
“The sound of the gunfire, all of the delay in that gun battle allowed everybody to get out of the main common areas of the mosque and into areas of hiding, so when they began to go through areas of the mosque they were not running into more victims,” said San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl at a Tuesday afternoon press conference.
“You could see one of them point to the window, and then they run out of a door right next to that window and immediately engage the two remaining victims outside in the parking lot.”
Wahl emphasized that the three people killed effectively drew the attention of the gunmen away from the mosque’s interior. Then, as hundreds of police officers approached, they fled.
“I truly believe that’s what saved the 140 kids who were just inside,” Wahl said.
A victims and family support fund is being maintained by the Islamic Center of San Diego. That fundraiser can be found here.
“Places of worship are meant to be spaces of peace, prayer, reflection, and community. Violence and hatred have no place in our society,” said the Islamic Center’s website. “May Allah grant healing to the injured, mercy to those who lost their lives, and strength to everyone impacted by this tragedy.”
