Suspects in San Diego mosque shooting identified as 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez, 17-year-old Cain Clark: report

( Post Millennial )

The suspects believed to be responsible for the Monday shooting at the San Diego Islamic Center have been identified by police at two teens. Speaking with NBC, two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation and a federal law enforcement official identified the suspects in the shooting as Caleb Vazquez, 18, and Cain Clark, 17. Three people were killed in the shooting, including a security guard at the center. 

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said in a Monday evening press conference that at 9:42 am, a mother called reporting a runaway juvenile. She told police that she believed her son was suicidal, and reported that in addition to her son being missing, several of her weapons and her vehicle were also gone. She said that her son had been with another person, and that they were dressed in camo.

Wahl said, "that is not consistent with what we would typically see from somebody that is suicidal," and that "began to trigger a larger threat assessment picture."

Cain Clark

Clark’s grandfather, 78-year-old David Clark, told the New York Post, "We’re very sorry for what happened. We know as much as you do. It’s a shock." Clark was reportedly a wrestler at Madison High School. 

Through the use of license plate readers, "there were hits with the vehicle down in Fashion Valley. We dispatched officers into the are, tha mall as a possible location that was a threat. We also gathered information that one of the individuals was associated in some form or fashion with Madison High School. We alerted the school police department, and we dispatched officers into the area of Madison High School."

At a press conference earlier in the afternoon, Wahl said that the two male teens "appeared to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. There were no officers involved in firing their weapons." He said the information was "still very preliminary" at that point.

Wahl said that officers received reports of an active shooter at the Islamic Center at around 11:43 am local time, and that within four minutes, officers arrived on scene "and observed, immediately, three deceased, what appeared to be deceased, victims out in front." An active shooter response was deployed. He said that officers, at around the same time, also received calls for shots fired a few blocks away from the mosque, where a landscaper was shot at but not hit. 

"Moments later, at the 3800 block of Hatton, officers were called to that location where they found a vehicle in the middle of the street with who we believe to be the shooters in this incident, both deceased."

Two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told the New York Times that investigators have recovered anti-Islamic writings from the vehicle the suspects were found in. One of the suspects reportedly took a firearm from his parents’ house before the shooting and left a suicide note. One of the firearms used in the attack reportedly had the words "hate speech" written on it.

Wahl said that a total of five people died in the shooting, two being the teen suspects and three being adult victims at the Islamic Center. He said that one of the deceased victims was a security guard at the center, who "I think played a pivotal role in assisting from this being much worse." Wahl said the shooting is being considered a hate crime "until it's not." Aerial footage showed a large police presence at the Islamic center and appeared to show a body which was lying in a pool of blood.

In a press conference, President Trump said, "It's a terrible situation. I've been given some early updates, but we're going to be going back and looking at it very strongly."

The Islamic Center of San Diego said in a statement on its website on Monday evening that it will be closed until further notice. "The Islamic Center of San Diego is heartbroken by the tragic shooting incident that occurred today on our campus. At this time, law enforcement agencies have secured the area, and the immediate threat has been neutralized. We continue to work closely with the San Diego Police Department, FBI, and emergency responders as the investigation remains active."

"Places of worship are meant to be spaces of peace, prayer, reflection, and community. Violence and hatred have no place in our society. May Allah grant healing to the injured, mercy to those who lost their lives, and strength to everyone impacted by this tragedy."