A security guard came to work on a Monday morning, greeted a parent like he always did, and sent one last message through her. No one standing there knew it would become part of a goodbye.Amin Abdullah was on duty at the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18, 2026, when two gunmen opened fire outside the mosque. He was a father of eight, and in the minutes that followed, people who knew him would come to believe he had done exactly what he had always done: put others first.The Islamic Center of San Diego is the largest mosque in San Diego County, and it is also connected to a school for young children. Classes for kindergarten through third grade were being held inside the building that morning.

Abdullah was the person many families saw before anyone else.Sam Hamideh, who had known Abdullah for four years, told CNN that his friend was never just a man in uniform. “Every single time you crossed him, he always put a smile on your face, he always brought that energy of everything’s good, having that strong faith in God and always being kind,” Hamideh said.Hamideh’s middle child attended the school inside the mosque, so Abdullah was part of the family’s daily routine. Whenever Hamideh or his wife arrived for drop-off, Abdullah would hurry over to the car, greet them, and help start the day with warmth.