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.
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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.
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