Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad were identified as the other two victims of the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, California, on Monday. The other victim, Amin Abdullah, had been identified earlier and his actions were praised by Police Chief Scott Wahl.
The three men were outside the Islamic Center of San Diego when the 17 and 18-year-old shooters approached the mosque around 11:43am, as per reports. Hailing Abdullah’s actions, Wahl said in a press conference “His actions without a doubt, delayed, distracted, and ultimately deterred the two individuals from gaining access to the mosque.”
As per Wahl, there were about 150 children who were around 20 feet away, when Abdullah got the suspects to engage with him rather than have them enter the building. Wahl then identified Kaziha and Awad as the other two victims, and added that both these men had gotten the suspects to follow them into the parking lot away from the building, where they were cornered and killed.
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Abdullah worked as a security guard there for over a decade. He was a father of eight and a caregiver to his own father, as per NBC San Diego. Abdullah was reportedly shot twice and fell, before standing up and making his way inside to warn others in the center, as per New York Times.
Council on American-Islamic Relations San Diego, in a statement, said about Abdullah “He is the definition of a hero who bravely made the ultimate sacrifice to save others over himself.”
Kaziha and Awad were also remembered for their acts of heroism. Here’s all you need to know about Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad.
Who were Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad?
Kaziha was reportedly a community leader, as per reports, and managed the mosque store for almost 40 years. He was a husband, father, and grandfather. Kaziha was reportedly nicknamed ‘Abu Ezz’, as per NYT.
Kaziha reportedly named his store ‘Abu el Ezz’ which is father of Ezz, because his youngest son is Ezzat, as per NBC News. Carolina Gaytan, who spoke to the publication said, “Everybody who ever steps foot in the masjid met Abu el Ezz. He was the most welcoming, most heartwarming person in the world.”
Gaytan is Kaziha’s daughter-in-law and married to his son, Ammar. Speaking of Kaziha, she told the publication “He was my dad, you know, by all means, he was my dad. He took care of me, and he loved my children, my kids loved him.”
Kaziha is survived by five sons and 14 grandchildren.
Awad reportedly lived across the street and his wife was a teacher at the Islamic Center. He reportedly turned away community members during the shooting, with numerous groups recognizing his efforts in saving additional lives.
Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, were identified as the suspects and the case is being treated as a hate crime, as per police chief Wahl. They reportedly met online and shared a ‘broader hatred’ towards different religions and races. The suspects are believed to have died by self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
