At least three people and two suspects are dead following a shooting Monday at the Islamic Center of San Diego.

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said at a press conference Monday afternoon that officers found three dead victims outside the center after responding to reports of an active shooter in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego.

Wahl said the two suspected shooters — identified as teenage boys ages 17 and 19 — also died from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

The victims include a security guard and two staff members from the Islamic school on the center’s grounds, Imam Taha Hassane, the mosque’s director, told MS NOW.

One of the gunmen also fired at a landscaper, who was not injured, according to Wahl.

“Because of the Islamic Center location, we are considering this a hate crime until it’s not,” Wahl said.

Nearby Sharp Memorial Hospital said it is receiving patients.

“Our disaster procedures have been activated and we are coordinating with the County of San Diego and other resources to respond to the incident,” a hospital spokesperson told MS NOW.

“We have never experienced a tragedy like this before. And at this moment all what I can say is we are sending our prayers and standing in solidarity with all the families in our community here,” Hassane told reporters after the shooting. “The other mosques and all the places of worship in our beautiful city should always be protected.”

Hassane called the targeting of a place of worship “extremely outrageous.”

The mosque, the largest in San Diego County, also houses the Al Rashid School, which teaches Arabic language and Islamic studies. All children present at the school are safe and officials established a reunification point for families.

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Erum Salam

Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.