The three men killed at the Islamic Center of San Diego were remembered by Muslim leaders on Tuesday as heroes who tried to save the lives of children and community members inside the mosque.
The men were identified by several Muslim organizations as Amin Abdullah, a security guard at the center; Mansour Kaziha, manager of the mosque store; and Nader Awad.
The authorities said the three victims were shot and killed on Monday by two teenagers, who killed themselves in a vehicle blocks away soon after.
The killings at the mosque were being investigated as a hate crime and set off new concerns of Islamophobia in the United States.
Mr. Abdullah, the security guard, was shot at least twice and fell before he stood and made his way inside to warn others in the center, according to Vanessa Chavez, a neighbor who saw the shooting.
“He is the definition of a hero who bravely made the ultimate sacrifice to save others over himself,” several Muslim organizations, including the Islamic Center of San Diego and the Council on American-Islamic Relations San Diego, said in a statement.
Mr. Awad also turned away community members during the shooting and was recognized for saving additional lives, the groups said.
Mr. Kaziha was a community leader known as “Abu Ezz,” and managed the mosque store for nearly 40 years, the organizations said. He was also a husband, father and grandfather.
Christina Morales is a national reporter for The Times.
The post Victims of Mosque Shooting Remembered as Heroes and Leaders appeared first on New York Times.
