More details emerge from shooting at Islamic Center of San Diego

Added: 2026-05-20

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[00:00:18]>> [music] >> Good morning. I'm Lawrence K. Jackson.

[00:00:23]It's Wednesday, May 20th. More details have been released regarding Monday's shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego. More on that next, but [music] first the headlines.

[00:00:37]Five local educators are nominees [music] for the 2026-2027 San Diego County Teacher of the Year award. The San Diego County Superintendent of Schools says the group represents almost every region of the county and multiple school districts. A special congrats goes out to the honorees: Katie Andin from La Costa Heights Elementary, Mark Jeffers from Mount Miguel High, Robert Larson from Pride Academy at Prospect Avenue, Mike Newman at Southwest High, and Stacy Williams at Transition Resources for Adult Community Education.

[00:01:09]The County's Office of Education has run the County Teacher of the Year program for more than 35 years, which puts a spotlight on teachers who the office says have a profound impact as dedicated educators.

[00:01:23]Heads up, county voters. This past Monday was the deadline to register to vote by mail for the swiftly approaching June 2nd primary.

[00:01:30]>> [music] >> If you missed out on this past Monday's vote by mail deadline, then now you will need [music] to conditionally register to vote. Conditional registration is available to you at any vote center beginning this Saturday, May 23rd, [music] through the final day of voting, June 2nd. You can also register at the Registrar of Voters Office in Kearny Mesa, which is located at 5600 Overland Avenue. Another option is requesting a paper form to register by calling 800-696-0135 [music] or by sending an email to [email protected].

[00:02:06]This upcoming November, Southern Californians and voters across the county are tasked with making a significant choice on health clinic revenues. Voters will decide whether or not non-profit community health clinics should have to spend at least 90% of their total revenue on patient care and other related program services.

[00:02:25]California Secretary of State Shirley N.

[00:02:27]Weber says this week that supporters gathered enough signatures to qualify for the upcoming November 3rd ballot. If approved come November, the initiative would demand that clinics serving underserved communities must dedicate 90% of their revenue toward patients rather than spending funds on administrative or overhead costs.

[00:02:46]>> [music] >> From KPBS, you're listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.

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[00:03:52]More details are coming out about the suspected gunmen involved in the shooting [music] at the Islamic Center of San Diego. The FBI says the two teenagers met online and were radicalized by hate ideology. Reporter Alexander Nguyen has more. These subjects did not discriminate on who they hated. That's what FBI special agent in charge Mark Remley says about the two teenage suspects. Late Tuesday, authorities conducted a search of their homes and seized more than 30 guns as well as several electronic devices.

[00:04:22]Among the items found is what Remley calls a manifesto. We are dedicating every resource the FBI has to conduct a thorough analysis of that manifesto to try to learn what led to this, but I think also more importantly how can we stop future attacks? He says the two suspects met online and realized they were in the same city and connected in person. What they don't know is how or when they become radicalized. Research has shown that social media plays a factor in young men becoming radicalized, but Remley stressed that it's too early in the investigation to form any conclusions. Alexander Nguyen, KPBS News.

[00:05:00]The San Diego mosque attack is the latest in what's become a familiar pattern in violent right-wing extremism.

[00:05:07]Reporter Andrew Dyer says the alleged shooters were immersed in far-right conspiracies and online white supremacist networks. Extremism researcher Sam Jackson shared online as well as live-streamed video of the attacker authentic. Jared Holt is a senior researcher and open measures where he monitors the spread of extremism and other harmful content online. He says the manifesto leaves little doubt about motive. Looking through this document, I see a lot of references to prior acts of racist white supremacist violence um and that kind of fits a trend over the last decade.

[00:05:43]>> Heidi Beirich is the co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. It's a hard thing to talk about, but it has to be confronted.

[00:05:51]These kids were radicalized into neo-Nazism, accelerationism, and hate.

[00:05:56]And they were also radicalized by the conversation demonizing Muslims coming from the conservative world. It's documented in the manifesto. The FBI says it's investigating the suspect's alleged writing and videos. Andrew Dyer, KPBS News.

[00:06:14]Community members are coming together to mourn the three people killed at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday.

[00:06:20]Reporter Katie Anastas says we now know all of the victims' names.

[00:06:24]A growing pile of flowers sits outside the front gate to San Diego's largest mosque. Muslim community leaders gathered at nearby Lindbergh Park.

[00:06:33]Sheikh Abdel Halim Mesgouri is one of the center's imams. Please, don't be intimidated. Don't be scared. Come to the mosque. That is your place. And specially in this time when we need to be together. Ameen Abdulla was one of the three men killed. He was a security guard.

[00:06:50]Mansour Kaziha had worked at the center for 40 years. The center's director, Imam Taha Hassan, says he was a storekeeper, cook, handyman, and more. I don't know what I'm going to do at the Islamic Center without his assistance, his daily assistance. Nader Awad lived across the street from the center. His wife is a teacher at the school. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.

[00:07:20]California lawmakers are reviewing whether an ICE detention center in Imperial County should be receiving special property tax breaks meant for charities. Imperial Valley reporter Corey Suzuki says their inquiry was prompted by a KPBS investigation. The Imperial Regional Detention Facility is one of eight ICE detention centers in California. It's owned by a local nonprofit called the Brawley Community Foundation. This week a KPBS investigation found the foundation has used its nonprofit status to secure millions in tax breaks on the detention center since 2016 through a special exemption for charities. In response, two state lawmakers told KPBS they're taking action. Jerry McNerney is a Democrat from Stockton and leads the Senate's Revenue and Taxation Committee.

[00:08:03]He urged the state and county officials who signed off on the tax breaks to revisit their decision and said county officials appear to have mis applied state law. Democrat T.D. represents Imperial County. On Monday he said he plans to introduce legislation aiming to prevent corporations involved in the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign from seeking certain tax breaks. Corey Suzuki, KPBS News.

[00:08:31]This Thursday is the San Diego Association of Governments Bike Anywhere Day, one of the biggest days for bicycle enthusiasts in San Diego. But a City Heights bike co-op tells reporter Gustavo Solis they are boycotting because of a controversial contract between the transportation agency and the Border Patrol. The people of Bike SD Pueblo love the San Diego Association of Governments Bike Anywhere Day, but this year they're boycotting the event because of SANDAG's controversial contract with federal immigration agencies. For roughly $200,000 a year, SANDAG gives Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations access to a regional crime database known as Argus. Here is Bike SD Pueblo volunteer Cynthia TeXan.

[00:09:16]We appreciate SANDAG's advocacy on uh bicycle infrastructure and we need them, but we need them to also stop selling data to the feds. The boycott already has the support of at least one powerful voice, County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, who serves on the SANDAG board. And the fact that this group has decided to take a stand, I think takes a lot of courage.

[00:09:40]But, I think it sends an important message to those who may not think that this is important or consequential enough. She is asking SANDAG to kill the contracts.

[00:09:52]Gustavo Solis, KPBS News.

[00:09:58]That's it for the podcast today. As always, you can find more San Diego news online at kpbs.org. I'm Laura McCay Jackson. [music] Thanks for listening and subscribing. By doing so, you're supporting public media, and I want to thank you for that. Have a great day.

[00:10:12]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> KPBS on demand is supported by the San Diego County Toyota dealers, presenting a new 2025 Corolla with classic styling, available 10.5-in touchscreen display, Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, and more. See your Toyota dealer for all Corolla options. The San Diego County Toyota dealers, we make it easy.