BREAKING: SWAT Responding to ACTIVE SHOOTER(S) at San Diego Islamic Center

Details are very sketchy as the situation is still unfolding.

Immediate reporting indicates there is a serious active shooter situation, with footage starting to emerge showing the carnage.

There are concerns there could potentially be more than one shooter, though no verification on that yet.

This time, it isn’t happening at a church or synagogue — but surprisingly at an ‘Islamic Center’ in San Diego.

A huge police response is being reported not only to the Islamic Center, but also the surrounding area; as it is currently not known how many shooters there are, or WHERE they are.

The first images coming out of the location are very graphic, so I’m warning up front.

A local news chopper hovering overhead is showing what appears to be a casualty sprawled out on the concrete at the entrance to the facility, in a pool of blood.

Nick Sortor just shared this video from SkyRanger7 — the NBC affiliate News helicopter out of San Diego:

https://x.com/nicksortor/status/2056457463818231945

NOTE: That video is being quickly taken down, as it shows either a victim or one of the shooters — I’m unsure which at this point.

This is a screenshot I took from that now deleted raw video, with the body covered:

At this point, it is not clear who the person laying on the pavement is — one of the alleged attackers, or a victim.

It is also not clear from the footage or current reporting whether law enforcement has made entrance to the Islamic Center at this time.

Journalist Nick Sortor shared that video including another video showing the size of the police response taken from the ground:

🚨 BREAKING: An ACTIVE SHOOTER situation is underway at the Islamic Center of San Diego, police confirm

A MASSIVE emergency response is underway.

No word yet on casuaIties, as the situation is still active. pic.twitter.com/x0QUSIRNI4

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 18, 2026

Again, there is very little information coming out yet.

But judging from the local news, law enforcement is currently swarming the area and shutting things down in their house-to-house search for the suspect(s).

That’s the situation being reported by the local Fox News affiliate out of San Diego:

San Diego Police responded to reports of an active shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday afternoon.

A heavy police and SWAT presence could be seen gathering outside the Islamic Center in the 7000 block of Eckstrom Avenue just after noon. Several San Diego Fire-Rescue and medic crews were also at the scene.

SkyFOX/KUSI in the Sky was overhead as children from nearby schools were seen being evacuated from the area as police set up a perimeter.

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Traffic was stopped as police closed the roads in the immediate area. San Diego Police are asking the public to avoid the area at this time.

The San Diego Police Department hasn’t given any details beyond this quick social media post warning of the event, and urging people to avoid the area:

SDPD is on scene at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the 7000 block of Eckstrom Ave for a reported active shooter.

Please avoid the area. Updates to follow. #SDPDPIO

— San Diego Police Department (@SanDiegoPD) May 18, 2026

San Diego’s Democrat Mayor also put out a social media post as news broke.

Oddly enough — no call for prayer for the victims or responders.  (Yes… if you felt my sarcasm there, your radar is working correctly.):

I am aware of the active shooter situation at the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont and am continuing to receive updates from law enforcement. Emergency personnel are on scene and actively working to protect the community and secure the area.

— San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (@MayorToddGloria) May 18, 2026

Here are the questions currently hanging in the air:

1. How many shooters were/are there?
2. Is the shooting still ongoing inside the Islamic Center, or elsewhere?
3. How many victims and what is their status?
4. Do we know who this was, and is there any indication of a motive?

Those will be the questions I’m looking to answer going forward as the situation develops.

Police are actually going door to door ‘frantically’ searching for possible shooters, according to this from the New York Post:

San Diego police rushed to the scene of a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday — helicopter footage appeared to show one person in a tactical vest appeared to have been shot dead.

Cops are frantically searching the neighborhood, going door to door to find the shooter, per KGTV San Diego.

It is not yet known how many shooters were involved in the incident. (Emphasis Added.)

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The last line of that report from the NYP is what worries me the most, as the question of multiple shooters seems to still be unanswered.

Beyond that, there are currently no details coming out of the scene.

Here’s another view from NBC San Diego’s news chopper showing a wide angle view of the area, revealing the size of the immediate law enforcement response:

A large police response is underway near the Islamic Center of San Diego amid an active shooter situation.

VIA: @AZ_Intel_ https://t.co/eJoIMLhr8Z pic.twitter.com/HTmQP1I175

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 18, 2026

Please join me in praying for victims, as well as first responders and officers responding to the scene.

This is a developing situation.

We’ll keep you up-to-date as things develop.

—————————————————————-

UPDATE — (3:40PM CST):

Fox News is now reporting that the ‘threat at the Islamic Center has been neutralized’, quoting a law enforcement source:

🚨 BREAKING UPDATE: The shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego has been “NEUTRALIZED,” per Fox

Hopefully he was taken down before any innocent lives were taken.

A name has not been released yet. Police are still sweeping the building. pic.twitter.com/Lvi4MbvBGL

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 18, 2026

If accurate, a few questions still remain.

For one thing, there is still no word whether law enforcement’s search for multiple shooters in the surrounding area has been called off.

There are still no details being reported concerning potential victims.

Gavin Newsom’s office just issued a statement via social media calling it an “evolving situation”, and the ‘Islamic Center’ apparently houses a private Islamic school, according to subsequent reporting from Fox News:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office said the governor has been briefed on the “evolving situation” at the Islamic Center.

“The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (@Cal_OES) is coordinating with local law enforcement,” Newsom’s team wrote on X. “We are grateful to the first responders on the scene working to protect the community and urge everyone to follow guidance from local authorities.”

The Islamic Center of San Diego describes itself on its website as the largest mosque in San Diego County.

The mosque shares an address with the Lower Campus of Bright Horizon Academy, a private Muslim school serving pre-K through 12th grade students, according to the school’s 2025 annual report.

Again, this is a developing situation — we’ll keep you informed as things play out.