Authorities have identified two teenagers, 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez, as the suspects in the deadly shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18.
According to NBC News, which cited senior law enforcement officials involved in the investigation, the two carried out the attack before later dying from self-inflicted gunshot wounds inside a vehicle found a few blocks away from the mosque. Three adults were killed, including a mosque security guard.
Investigators are still trying to piece together exactly what happened and what may have led to the shooting. So far, only limited information about the two teenagers has been made public.
The Islamic Center of San Diego is the largest mosque in San Diego County and also houses Bright Horizon Academy, a school for children from pre-kindergarten through third grade.
What is known about Cain Clark
Cain Clark, who was 17 years old, studied at iHigh Virtual Academy, part of the San Diego Unified School District. He attended classes online and was reportedly set to graduate later this month.
Officials said Clark lived in the area served by Madison High School, located roughly a mile away from the Islamic Center. However, he never attended in-person classes there.
He did take part in wrestling during the 2024-25 season at Madison High School. Some reports also mentioned wrestling-related photos and highlights connected to him from previous years, though NBC News said those details had not been officially confirmed.
What is known about Caleb Vazquez
Much less information has been publicly released about Caleb Vazquez, who was 18.
Authorities and news reports have mainly described him as another local teenager from the San Diego area who was with Clark during the incident. No detailed information about his school, work, or family background has been widely shared so far.
First details on suspects out- What we know so far
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said both suspects appeared to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Investigators later discovered that one of the teenagers had been reported missing just two hours before the shooting.
At around 9:42 am, the suspect’s mother contacted police, saying her son had disappeared along with her firearms and car. She also warned officers that her son was suicidal and might be travelling with a friend. Authorities said both young men were reportedly wearing military-style fatigues.
Chief Wahl confirmed that one of the suspects had taken three weapons from his mother’s home before the attack.
Hate messages found during the investigation
Law enforcement officials told investigators that one of the suspects left behind a suicide note that included references to racial pride.
Authorities also found hate-related messages written on one of the weapons used in the shooting, although police have not publicly revealed the exact wording.
“There are details and information that we are investigating as to exactly what those hate words were that were conveyed. But yes, it’s being investigated as a hate crime. At this point, there was definitely hate rhetoric that was involved,” Wahl told CNN.
Investigators were also able to connect one of the suspects to Madison High School, located about a mile away from the mosque.
Wahl, however, said investigators have not found any direct threat aimed specifically at the Islamic Center of San Diego. According to him, the messages and writings linked to the suspects appeared to contain broader hate-filled rhetoric rather than plans targeting one particular place.
He also said religious institutions everywhere continue to face security concerns in today’s world, calling it an unfortunate reality many communities live with. Chief Wahl said the location of the attack immediately raised concerns that the shooting may have been motivated by hate. “Because of the Islamic Centre location, we are considering this a hate crime until it’s not,” Wahl said.
He added that investigators were still examining the language used in the messages found during the probe. “There was no specific threat, especially no specific threat to the Islamic Centre. It was just general hate kind of speech that covered a wide gamut,” he added.
Security guard credited with stopping worse tragedy
Officials believe the mosque’s security guard may have prevented the attack from becoming even deadlier. Chief Wahl described the guard’s actions as “pivotal.”
“I think he played a pivotal role in assisting from this being much worse,” he said.
Police also believe the guard managed to help contain the violence near the front area of the mosque. “We do believe the security guard was able to help at least minimise the situation to the front area of the mosque,” Wahl added.
The FBI is now working closely with local law enforcement as investigators continue collecting evidence from the scene.