San Diego Police Northern Division Had Seven Officers on Duty During Mosque Shooting

The San Diego Police Department northern division had seven officers on duty at the time of the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday. The department had planned for twice that number in the area covering the mosque, according to ABC 10. Local police unions had raised concerns about understaffing for more than a year.

President Jared Wilson said the loss of $12 million in overtime funding last year reduced the department's ability to respond to calls. Wilson stated that priority-two calls, including runaway juveniles, took over two hours to respond to. Wilson said the department's response to the shooting was excellent but added that it is unacceptable for the city to take days to respond to less serious calls.

He called for more resources to improve response times.

Monday, 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez opened fire at the Islamic Center, killing security guard Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nadir Awad. The pair then drove through nearby neighborhoods firing at residents before Clark shot Vazquez and then himself.

A mother of one of the teens had called police earlier to report that her son was suicidal and dressed in camouflage. Police were unable to locate the pair before the attack began.