Both teenage suspects found dead in car from self-inflicted gunshots, police say.

People embrace near the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday that killed three people, including one who was a security guard at the center. Nelvin C. Cepeda - The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Law enforcement officers surround the Islamic Center of San Diego after reports of a shooting on Monday. K.C. Alfred - The San Diego Union-Tribune.

A family member escorts his young loved ones away from the reunification center after the shooting at the mosque. Nelvin C. Cepeda - The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Two men embrace at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday. Three people at the mosque were killed. Gregory Bull - AP

By Karen Kucher, Teri Figueroa, and Caleb Lunetta | The San Diego Union-Tribune

Three people were fatally shot at an Islamic center in San Diego on Monday morning, and two teenage suspects were found dead of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds in a vehicle nearby, San Diego police said.

The report of an active shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the Clairemont neighborhood came in shortly after 11:40 a.m. Officers found three dead men in front of the center, one of whom was a security guard there. Their names have not been released.

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl told reporters at a briefing the two alleged shooters were found dead inside a vehicle a short distance away. The suspects, ages 17 and 18, apparently had killed themselves, Wahl said. Police initially said the older teen was 19.

After leaving the center, Wahl said, the two shooters fired at a landscaper working in the area. That man was not injured. Officers responding to reports of that shooting found the vehicle with the dead teens inside.

Two hours before the shooting, the mother of the younger teen called San Diego police to report that her son was missing, as were "multiple" guns and her car, Wahl said. She also believed her son was suicidal. Wahl said the teen left a note, and there was "generalized hate rhetoric" involved, but Wahl did not go into further detail.

The mother told police her son was with a companion, and they were dressed in camouflage.

As police worked to locate the missing teen and his companion, sensing a larger public threat, they got the call about an active shooter at the Islamic Center.

Wahl called the attack "every community's worst nightmare."

The fatal shooting is being investigated as a hate crime, and the FBI is involved in the investigation. "Because of the Islamic Center location, we are considering this a hate crime until it's not," Wahl said. Wahl said all the children who were attending a school at the site were safe.

"And I'll tell you what got me -watching the kids come running out, just thankful to be alive," he said, growing emotional.

Wahl said law enforcement officers from around the region rushed to the Clairemont location after someone called 911 to report an active shooter at the Islamic center. The first officers arrived within four minutes, the chief said.

After seeing the bodies in front of the building, the officers went into the mosque and the adjacent school. About the same time, police received calls from people hearing active gunfire a couple of blocks away. Officers responded to Salerno Street and found a landscaper who said he had been fired at but was uninjured.

Officers were then called to Hatton Street, where they found a vehicle in the middle of the street with two bodies inside, dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshots. He said no officers fired their weapons.

Wahl said the Islamic center has video cameras, and officers will review the footage as they "try to sort and put this puzzle back together again."

"We are in the process of serving search warrants tonight and on into the days ahead," Wahl said. "We're going to continue following any leads and any information that comes forward, as we're all focused on figuring out how this happened and what could have been done to prevent it."

Wahl said investigators believe actions taken by the security guard at the scene "helped minimize the situation in front of the mosque."

"It's fair to say his actions were heroic and undoubtedly, he saved lives today," Wahl said.

He also expressed admiration for the response of his officers and those from other agencies, calling it "the most dynamic and impressive response" he's seen in his career.

"We have every single police officer available throughout our county that dropped what they're doing," he said. "They did exactly what they're trained to do: run toward gunfire."

Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily of the FBI's San Diego field office said a number of agents, task force officers and others had responded to the shooting.

"The FBI is meticulously assessing the situation and is prepared to employ every resource we have to uncover the facts of this incident," he said. "No community should have to go through such a tragic incident, but we will work tirelessly until we learn the truth."

The Islamic Center is the largest mosque in San Diego County. It is home to the Al Rashid School, which offers courses in Arabic language, Islamic studies and the Quran.

The center holds five daily prayers and a variety of educational talks and seminars. On its website, the center says it works with other mosques in the region to sponsor and hold events for the local Muslim community.

The center's imam, Taha Hassane, told reporters he was outraged that someone would target a place of worship. He said the mosque and all other places of worship "should always be protected."

"People come to the Islamic Center to pray, to celebrate, to learn.... This is something we have never expected," he said. "We're all shocked; we're all scared," said Shrooq Barbakh, a member of the mosque.

She also talked of being targeted.  "When you wear a hijab in this world, they all attack you," she said.

The national Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement condemning the "deadly attack at a San Diego mosque." CAIR, which is the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said people were shot and that "at least one member of the mosque was killed."

"We strongly condemn this horrifying act of violence at the Islamic Center of San Diego," the group said. "Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this attack. No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school."

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said on social media that the governor had been briefed on the "evolving situation." It also said the state's Office of Emergency Services was coordinating with local law enforcement.

At the news conference, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria praised the police response.

"I want to assure our Muslim community that we will do everything it takes to make sure that you can feel safe in this city," Gloria said. "No resource will be spared in making sure that our religious institutions and locations are protected in this sensitive time."

Following the shooting, dozens of parents stood behind police tape, waiting for word about their children. Once an officer informed them of the meetup point, many began running toward their cars to pick them up.

Tazheen Nizam, executive director of the San Diego CAIR chapter, said the organization is "trying to support any affected community members."

She said that while the shooting did not happen during prayer time, the center is still a busy site.

"The Islamic Center is a place of prayer, but also a place of learning," she said. "There are kids there in the school right now."

She said her team is "trying to assess the situation."

"We are trying to make sure that the folks that are being evacuated have support," Nizam said. "And we are working with law enforcement and elected officials about how we move forward assessing all of it."

The FBI asked the public to send any photos or possible evidence to fbi.gov/islamiccenterofsandiego shooting.

Union-Tribune staff writer Jemma Stephenson contributed to this report.