Teenage Suspects in Mosque Attack Identified - Police Were Hunting for Them Before Shooting
San Deigo police revealed Tuesday that they had been hunting for two teens identified as the shooters who killed three people at a San Deigo mosque even before the attack.
Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, have been identified as the gunman who attacked the Islamic Center of San Diego, according to KABC-TV.
Both teens died from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds and were found dead in a vehicle stopped in the middle of a street not far from the mosque, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said.
Wahl said the mother of one teen had phoned police Monday morning to alert them that her son, her guns and her car were all missing, according to NBC.
San Diego mosque shooter, Cain Clark identified as former high school wrestler https://t.co/vx9sBw7bOE pic.twitter.com/AcSjYC6gj6
— New York Post (@nypost) May 19, 2026
The woman said her son was suicidal and was likely with a friend, he said, adding that she told them both teens were “dressed in camo.”
The mosque shooting took place as police were searching for the woman’s son.
“We noted that there were hits with the vehicle down in Fashion Valley. We dispatched officers into the area of the mall as a possible location that was a threat,” Wahl said. “We also gathered information that one of the individuals was associated in some form or fashion with Madison High School.”
As the shooting erupted, police “immediately dispatched themselves to the mosque,” he said.
The mother said he son left a note, Wahl said. He declined to provide additional details.
Wahl said “hate rhetoric” was involved and that what appeared to be anti-Islamic writings were found in the car where the bodies of the teens were found.
Wahl said a security guard at the mosque, who was killed, was “pivotal” in preventing more deaths.
“At this point, I think it’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” Police Chief Scott Wahl said. “Undoubtedly, he saved lives today.”
The Islamic Center of San Diego identified the security guard as Amin Abdullah, KABC reported.
A woman who lives across the street from the Islamic Center said she saw someone in a uniform get shot, according to CNN.
“He received two, three impacts, and then he fell. And 911 asked me if he was OK, and I told them to hurry up because there’s so many kids (at the center),” she said.
🚨🇺🇸 New chilling details on the San Diego mosque attack…
A gas container with an SS (Schutzstaffel) insignia was photographed outside the vehicle where the two suspects were found dead.
Key details:
-The SS gas container is consistent with neo-Nazi symbology
-The mother of… https://t.co/8Owg50zKGc pic.twitter.com/8mLoIBrDLv
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 19, 2026
Clark had attended Madison High School and had been a wrestler there, according to the New York Post.
David Clark, 78, the gunman’s grandfather, said: ”We’re very sorry for what happened. We know as much as you do. It’s a shock.”
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