‘Direct result of your leadership’: San Diego woman screams at Mayor Todd Gloria to his face after a mosque shooting kills three

A shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday left three people dead in what authorities are treating as a possible hate crime. The two gunmen, aged 17 and 19, were also found dead inside a vehicle near the scene. The mosque is the largest in San Diego County, serving a congregation of over 5,000 people.

The shooting happened just days before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. The mother of one of the suspects had contacted authorities earlier that day, reporting that her son was suicidal and that several of her weapons were missing. Investigators are still working to determine the full motive behind the attack.

According to Mediaite, Mayor Todd Gloria addressed the shooting, saying, “Today our city was shaken by a violent act of hate here at the Islamic Center of San Diego. And my heart is with every person that is impacted by this horrific tragedy. No one in our city should live in fear because of their identity, their faith, or their place of learning.”

The shooting has exposed deep anger toward San Diego’s leadership over its treatment of the Muslim community

Before the mayor could finish speaking, a woman in the crowd screamed directly at him: “This is a f***ing direct result of your leadership! Your leadership! Our Muslim brothers and sisters have been talking to you for how long?! You have to f***ing listen to them, Todd. Just like you did with ICE. [unintelligible] Zionist propaganda. And you’ll keep doing it as long as it lines your f***ing pockets, won’t it? Show something! Worse approval rating than a fascist dictator with sh*t in his hands.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom also released a statement, saying he was “horrified by today’s violent attack,” and that “hate has no place in California.” This is not the first time California leadership has faced public backlash over controversial decisions upsetting local communities. 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, said, “Islamophobia endangers Muslim communities across this country. We must confront it directly and stand together against the politics of fear and division.”

CAIR-San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam said, “No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations also released a statement saying, “We are working to learn more about this incident, and we encourage everyone to keep this community in your prayers.”

The shooting has also brought renewed attention to the rise of Islamophobia across the United States. A recent report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations found that there were 8,683 anti-Muslim and anti-Arab complaints in 2025, the highest number since the organization started publishing data in 1996. Civil rights advocates have long linked this rise to the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and the so-called war on terror.

This attack is not an isolated incident. In February, shots were fired at the Pike County Islamic Center in Matamoras, Pennsylvania, damaging windows and furniture. In October 2023, a six-year-old Palestinian American boy was killed in Illinois in what authorities described as a hate crime connected to the war on Gaza.

The pattern of violence targeting Muslim communities across the country continues to grow. In other recent news, a United Airlines plane striking a pole and truck while landing in Newark has also raised fresh concerns about public safety across the country.