ABC News reports on today’s shooting in California at the Islamic Center of San Diego
Two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation and a federal law enforcement official identified Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, as the suspects in today’s shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Authorities previously said the suspects died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Three people, including a security guard, were killed.
At a briefing this afternoon, police said the suspects were 17 and 19. At an evening news conference, Chief Wahl said they were 17 and 18.
Wahl reiterated that the shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.
“At this point, there was definitely hate rhetoric that was involved,” he said. “There was generalized hate rhetoric and speech,” but no specific threat against “any facility or any place.” Reports said the suspects had what were described as “anti-Islamic writings” with them.
San Diego police received their first call around 9:42 a.m. from the mother of one of the suspects, who said her son had gone missing along with her firearms and car, Wahl said. She also told police her son was suicidal and likely with a friend. Both were wearing camouflage clothing.
Investigators connected one suspect to Madison High School, about a mile from the Islamic Center of San Diego, Wahl said. At 11:43 a.m., police received reports of an active shooter at the mosque.
“Officers were in the area still talking with Mom, trying to piece together where they might be,” Wahl said. “Once they heard what was happening at the Islamic Center, [they] immediately dispatched themselves to the mosque.”
When officers arrived, they found three victims already dead. While searching the Islamic center for a suspect, dispatchers received calls that a landscaper may have been shot blocks away, Wahl said. Another report then came in that the two suspects were dead in a car from gunshot wounds.
Investigators are now serving search warrants.
“We’re going to continue following any leads and any information that comes forward as we’re all focused on figuring out how this happened and what could we have done to prevent it,” Wahl said.
Authorities said one of the suspects was a student at nearby Madison High School, though there was never any known threat to the campus.
“He was associated with the school as a student,” Wahl said.
The school, one of two public high schools serving the Clairemont community, is 1.1 miles north of the mosque.
