Two teenage attackers fatally shot three men at a mosque in San Diego, California, in a suspected hate crime before taking their own lives, police say.

The shooting took place on Monday morning, two hours after the mother of one of the suspects called police to say her son had run away with a friend and was possibly suicidal.

Police were already on the hunt for the two when the attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego began. Officers found three victims with gunshot wounds outside the front of the building when they arrived.

The community has created a makeshift memorial at the centre, as it reacts to the incident.