Hero security guard died trying to save others in San Diego mosque shooting as father of eight children is praised as 'protector'

Published: 01:54, 19 May 2026 | Updated: 01:57, 19 May 2026 A heroic security guard died while trying to save others when a pair of teenagers opened fire at a mosque in California. Amin Abdullah, a father of eight, was among those killed when Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego at around 11.40am on Monday. He quickly sprang into action to protect others, Police Chief Scott Wahl said at a news conference.  'We do believe the security guard was able to help at least minimize the situation to the front area of the mosque,' Wahl said Monday night. 'At this point, I think it's fair to say his actions were heroic,' he continued. 'Undoubtedly, he saved lives today.'  Amin Abdullah, a father of eight, was among those killed when Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego at around 11.40am on Monday This is a breaking news story and will be updated. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.