5 things to know about the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego
2. One suspect’s mother reported guns missing from home before attack
Hours before the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the mother of one of the suspects reported to the police that her son had run away, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl recounted during a news conference on Monday. The mother also said she had discovered a note, but the police chief did not disclose its contents.
According to Wahl, the mother said that several weapons and her car were missing. She also told police that her son had left the house with another individual, and that they were both "dressed in camo.”
Wahl said during the conference that the behavior the mother described was “not consistent with what [police] would typically see from somebody that is suicidal."
"One person that’s suicidal is not going to take three weapons from a location,” the police chief stated, adding that the mother’s phone call triggered a "larger threat assessment picture.”
Law enforcement began working to track down the vehicle and the missing teens by using license-plate readers; they also deployed officers to a mall and a high school. As the police searched for the teenagers, a call later came through about a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
"We're all focused on figuring out how this happened and what we could have done to prevent it," Wahl said.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
