The horrifying mass shooting at San Diego’s largest mosque has left an entire community grieving, while investigators race to uncover how two teenage suspects allegedly carried out what authorities are now treating as a hate-fueled attack before turning the guns on themselves.

Three people were killed Monday afternoon outside the Islamic Center of San Diego, including beloved security guard Amin Abdullah, a father of eight who police say likely prevented an even greater tragedy through his heroic actions.

As mourners gathered outside the mosque Tuesday, new details emerged about the suspects, the warning signs that preceded the bloodshed, and the desperate efforts by police to stop the teenagers before gunfire erupted at the busy religious center that also houses a school for young children.

Authorities identified one of the suspects as 17-year-old Cain Clark, a San Diego-area student and wrestler. A second suspect, identified by multiple reports as 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez, was also found dead nearby from what investigators believe were self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

Police say the attack unfolded after Clark’s mother called authorities earlier that morning to report that her son had disappeared with her vehicle and several firearms from the family home. According to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, the mother also warned officers that her son was suicidal and traveling with another teen, both dressed in camouflage clothing.

That alarming call immediately triggered what Wahl described as a “much bigger threat assessment.”

“One person that’s suicidal is not going to take three weapons from a location,” the chief explained during a news conference.

Investigators quickly began searching for the missing SUV and attempted to track the suspects using automated license plate readers and other law enforcement resources. Officers were also dispatched to Madison High School because of a possible connection to one of the teens.

But before police could locate them, gunfire erupted outside the Islamic Center around 11:43 a.m.

The Islamic Center of San Diego, located in the Clairemont neighborhood, is considered the city’s largest mosque and serves as both a place of worship and a community hub. The campus includes the Al-Rashid school, where children from kindergarten through third grade attend classes.

When officers arrived just four minutes after the first emergency calls, they found chaos unfolding outside the building.

Three men had been shot dead.

Police immediately launched an active-shooter response, rushing through the mosque and adjacent school building room by room while evacuating terrified children, teachers and worshippers.

Parents later described scenes of panic as heavily armed officers broke through doors searching for the gunmen while families desperately tried to contact loved ones inside.

Despite the terror, officials confirmed that no children were physically injured during the attack.

Imam Taha Hassane later addressed the public in an emotional video statement.

“The entire school is safe,” he said. “All the kids, all the staff and the teachers are safe out of the Islamic Center.”

Authorities believe that outcome may have been due in large part to the actions of Amin Abdullah.

Friends and community members described Abdullah as a deeply devoted father and protector who immediately moved toward danger when the shooting began.

Police Chief Wahl called the security guard’s actions “heroic,” saying he “undoubtedly saved lives.”

Sam Hamideh, a close friend of Abdullah whose own child attended school at the mosque, said the slain guard routinely greeted families every morning and cared deeply about keeping children safe.

“I know that he knew he was sacrificing his life for the kids,” Hamideh said through tears. “Because if he didn’t take that bullet, they would easily walk up the stairs.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations also praised Abdullah’s courage.

“This is a horrific tragedy, and it could have been much worse if not for, thank God, the brave actions of Amin Abdullah,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR’s national deputy director.

“He did what he could to protect everyone inside and sacrifice his life in the process.”

While officers secured the mosque, police simultaneously received reports of another shooting nearby involving a landscaper who was fired upon from a vehicle believed to be connected to the suspects.

According to Wahl, the landscaper survived only because a bullet appeared to ricochet off his helmet.

Moments later, officers located the suspects’ vehicle in the middle of a nearby street. Inside, both teens were found dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

What investigators discovered inside and around the vehicle immediately intensified concerns that the massacre may have been ideologically motivated.

Law enforcement sources said weapons recovered from the scene contained hate-filled writings and anti-Islamic messages. Investigators also found a gas can bearing Nazi “SS” imagery and a suicide note allegedly containing references to racial pride.

Authorities are now officially investigating the massacre as a hate crime.

Chief Wahl said the writings discovered on the weapons “covered a wide gamut” of hateful language, though investigators are still piecing together the suspects’ exact motivations.

Federal authorities, including the FBI, quickly joined the investigation.

Bomb technicians cleared the suspects’ vehicle while homicide detectives and federal agents began executing search warrants and analyzing digital evidence, surveillance footage and online activity connected to the teens.

The FBI’s San Diego field office confirmed that victim specialists, evidence response teams and task force officers were all deployed to assist.

Meanwhile, members of the Muslim community struggled to process the attack.

Outside the mosque Tuesday, mourners embraced one another while flowers and memorial candles accumulated near the entrance.

Many described feeling shaken not only by the violence itself, but by the possibility that the mosque was deliberately targeted because of religion.

University campuses, churches, synagogues and mosques across the country have faced increasing security concerns in recent years amid rising reports of hate-fueled threats and extremist rhetoric.

“This entire country should be in mourning,” said former congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar, who attended the mosque’s school as a child and personally knew one of the victims.

“When I heard there was a shooting there, I remembered those classrooms,” he said. “I remembered being there as a kid.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the shooting, calling it a “violent attack” against a place where “families and children gather, and neighbors worship in peace.”

“Hate has no place in California,” Newsom said.

The Catholic Diocese of San Diego also released a statement expressing solidarity with the Muslim community.

“This senseless act of violence has shaken all of us,” Bishop Michael Pham said.

Investigators are continuing to examine whether anyone else may have known about the teens’ plans in advance or helped them obtain materials connected to the attack.

Police say Clark had attended virtual school programs in recent years and had previously participated on a local wrestling team. Former classmates and relatives expressed disbelief after learning of the allegations.

“He seemed like a good kid,” one former teammate said. “He didn’t seem violent.”

Clark’s grandparents also told reporters they were struggling to understand what happened.

“We’re trying to process this,” they said quietly outside their home.

For now, grieving families are left mourning three lives lost in a burst of violence that shattered one of San Diego’s most prominent Muslim institutions.

The Islamic Center announced it would remain closed until further notice as the community mourns and counseling services are arranged for students, staff and worshippers traumatized by the attack.

Police have not yet publicly released the names of all three victims, but community members say the memory of Amin Abdullah’s sacrifice will endure long after the investigation ends.

“He died protecting people,” Hamideh said. “That’s who he was.”