San Diego, CA
Shot after San Diego mosque attack, landscaper says he’s the ‘luckiest guy on the planet’
A landscaper, who police say a pair of teen shooters fired at near the Islamic Center of San Diego following Monday’s attack that left three dead, issued a statement through his attorney Saturday, saying he considers himself to be “the luckiest guy on the planet” to survive the rampage.
“If not for my helmet, I would probably not be alive today,” 52-year-old Tafu Letuli said in a statement from his lawyer Jerry Suppa.
Police said Caleb Vazquez, 18, and Cain Lee Clark, 17, arrived at the Islamic Center of San Diego about 11:43 a.m. Monday, armed and wearing camouflage. They killed a security guard during a gunbattle, then cornered and killed two congregants before fleeing. They shot at a Letuli a few blocks away on Salerno Street, then drove a few more blocks before stopping in the middle of the road and killing themselves, according to police.
The attorney’s statement said Letuli was fired upon “five or six times” and struck once, in the center of his fiberglass helmet, which shattered, and left him bleeding from his forehead.
Letuli was treated at the scene and later treated and examined at an emergency room near his home.
“Every time I think about what happened, a strange feeling triggers a flood of emotions,” Letuli said. “I feel fortunate and sad, all at the same time. I keep asking myself, ‘why me, why me, I’m just a tree trimmer.”
The statement went on to say that Letuli’s heart goes out to the victims and their families.
Bullying, rejection, concerning behavior cited in documents linked to mosque shooting suspects
Some 5,000 people across the region gathered Thursday for a Janazah prayer service at a park next to Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley to remember Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad.
Abdullah, 51, the security guard at the Clairemont center, engaged in a gunbattle with the teens and used his radio to call for a lockdown, sounding a warning that helped those inside reach safety.
Kaziha, 78, had been a part of the center since it began and worked in the mosque’s store, while 57-year-old Awad lived across the street and prayed daily at the center. His wife taught school there. Mosque members have hailed the three as heroes and martyrs.
Authorities, including the San Diego Police Department and the FBI, are investigating the shootings as a hate crime.
Statement from Letuli and his family
The following is the full statement issued from Letuli’s attorney:
A statement from Letuli, and his family, provided through his attorney, Jerry Suppa, acknowledged that he is going to recover from being shot at five or six times, by his assailants, Cain Lee Clark, and Caleb Vasquez, the shooters at the Islamic Center this past Monday.
Letuli was struck by one of the bullets in the center of his arbors helmet and was injured by bullet fragments that shattered his fiberglass helmet. He was bleeding from his forehead, blood ran down his face, from his upper forehead just above the hairline, then to his chin. His injuries were treated at the scene, and later Letuli was treated and examined at the emergency room at a hospital near his home.
Although traumatized by the ordeal, Letuli considers himself to be “the luckiest guy on the planet,” he said. He stated that his heart goes out to the victims, and their families. At 52 years old, he truly understands and realizes how he was literally inches away from meeting a horrible end to his life.
“If not for my helmet, I would probably not be alive today,” he said.
Jerry Suppa stated that Elizabeth Nelson, the victim health specialist at the FBI headquarters in Sorrento Valley, and other mental health professionals, have really been helpful in reaching out to him. After being under fire in a combat-like situation, and living to talk about it, Letuli wants everyone to know that he gives “Thanks to God for protecting him,” Suppa said.
Tafu said “every time I think about what happened, a strange feeling triggers a flood of emotions. I feel fortunate and sad, all at the same time. I keep asking myself “why me, why me, I’m just a tree trimmer?”
Suppa said that after things settle down, Letuli will be in better shape to share his experience with others.
San Diego police release timeline of events from day of mosque shooting
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN DIEGO, CA — [June 15th, 2026] — Art plus story equals culture. Today, three local groups deeply invested in advancing San Diego arts and culture— San Diego FC Playmakers, Art & Design District, and San Diego Magazine—have joined forces to tell its stories.
The initial project will be a landmark September edition of San Diego Magazine—fully dedicated to the people, ideas, and identities of the city’s creative community. After its release, those stories and more will extend across six months of integrated digital, social, and multi-platform coverage. Art & Design District and SDFC Playmakers will serve as co-publishers of the expanded editorial vision.
The Art & Design District is evolving into San Diego’s first home for the performing arts at iconic downtown venues like the Civic Theatre and Jacobs Music Center alongside research and development programs focused on artist live/work spaces, galleries, studios, and New School of Architecture & Design.
“[The Art & Design District initiative] is a long-term investment in San Diego’s creative life and the creative workforce that powers our cultural experiences and creative industries here at home and across the world,” says Jonathan Glus, Prebys Senior Fellow for Art & Design in Residence at Downtown San Diego Partnership. “But infrastructure alone is not enough. The public needs to see, understand, and participate in what’s being built and why. Joining as co-publisher of this issue means helping ensure that the story of San Diego’s creative community—its artists, its institutions, its future—gets told at the level of ambition the moment requires.”
San Diego has entered a defining chapter in how the region invests in its creative community, with civic and philanthropic leaders working alongside artists, brands, institutions, and people to chart a new model of public-private support for arts and culture.
As digital co-publishers of San Diego Magazine‘s arts and culture coverage, SDFC’s Playmakers partnership will include a six-month integrated collaboration designed to sustain the visibility of San Diego’s creative community well beyond a single issue.
“The Playmakers program was built on the belief that the creative community is essential to what makes San Diego, San Diego,” says Sebastian, San Diego FC’s SVP of Brand and Innovation. “Investing in local media that tells those stories—and reaches the audiences who need to hear them—is one of the most direct ways we can support the artists, organizations, and cultural leaders shaping this city’s future. We’re proud to step in as digital co-publishers of San Diego Magazine‘s arts and culture coverage and the founding partner of this new editorial program.”
Under the partnerships:
- The Art & Design District joins as Co-Publisher of the September 2026 Arts & Culture Issue, undwriting San Diego Magazine‘s most ambitious editorial event of the year.
- SDFC Playmakers joins as Digital Co-Publisher of San Diego Magazine‘s arts and culture coverage, founding a six-month integrated partnership that includes co-publisher presence in the September issue.
The partnership represents a new model for regional media: civic and cultural institutions providing the resources required for sustained, ambitious, local editorial media focused on the neighborhoods it serves.
“For 78 years, the magazine has told the story of arts and culture here,” says Claire Johnson, CEO of San Diego Magazine. “But the fragmentation of traditional media has made it harder than ever to cover this community at the depth and scale it deserves. SDFC Playmakers and the Art & Design District have recognized something critical: Media is not separate from the civic conversation, it’s the stage for the conversation.”
San Diego Magazine retains full editorial control over all reporting, features, and original content produced under both partnerships.
“Our role in this ecosystem is to tell the story of San Diego’s culture and provide context for our readers.” says Johnson. “These partnerships give us the resources to do justice to that responsibility—and to extend that commitment well beyond a single issue. Our readers also deserve to know exactly how this work was funded. I’m grateful to our partners, and to the arts and culture community in San Diego for letting us tell this story.”
The September Arts & Culture Issue will be released early September 2026, with digital, social, video, and podcast coverage rolling out through early 2027.
ABOUT SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE For 78 years, San Diego Magazine has been the region’s leading lifestyle and culture publication, reaching approximately 6 million readers monthly across print, digital, newsletter, and social platforms. Owned and operated locally, the magazine has been the connective tissue of San Diego’s cultural conversation since 1948.
PARTNER CONTENT
A Holistic Approach to Women’s Wellness and Leadership
Elevating an Icon: Inside the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Clu…
ABOUT SDFC PLAYMAKERS The Playmakers program is an ongoing initiative that seeks to identify and showcase the talent of San Diego creatives who are contributing to the culture, substance, and flow of our community. We want to bring the San Diego community together by marrying football and creativity to provide a platform for these Playmakers who are positively impacting our culture by pushing the boundaries through innovative ideas. The goal is to create a program that consistently provides growth and exposure opportunities for San Diego creatives, while shaping an authentic direction for San Diego FC’s brand and community-building process. Through this program we hope to contribute to the creative fabric of our city by providing paid jobs, projects, collaborations, as well as networking opportunities for Playmakers.
ABOUT THE ART & DESIGN DISTRICT The Art & Design District is a Downtown San Diego Partnership initiative, supported by the Prebys Foundation, working to shape a connected, vibrant arts and design district in downtown San Diego. Led by Art and Culture Expert Fellow Jonathan Glus, the initiative convenes artists, cultural leaders, civic stakeholders, and residents in service of a downtown that reflects the creativity, identity, and diversity of the region. Learn more at downtownsandiego.org.
One person was killed late Sunday in a crash on Interstate 15 north of the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
The crash was reported at 10:27 p.m. on the southbound freeway just north of Carroll Canyon Drive in the Mira Mesa area, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Witnesses told the CHP that multiple vehicles were involved in the crash and that one vehicle was engulfed in flames. One witness said the occupants were out of the burning vehicle.
An arriving officer reported that CPR was being performed on someone involved in the crash, and 10 minutes later, the Medical Examiner’s Office was called to the scene.
An officer also reported that only the burned vehicle was involved in the crash.
At least three southbound lanes were closed while the crash was investigated and cleared.
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