The chilling details of a 911 call made by a suspect’s mother two hours prior to the deadly shooting at a San Diego mosque on Monday, May 18 have been come to light.
A devastating tragedy unfolded after a violent attack outside the Islamic Center of San Diego left three adult men dead. With the community mourning the loss of the victims, authorities have identified the suspected perpetrators as two local teenagers from the San Diego area.
As per reports, police were already searching for the suspects when they responded to calls citing gunshots at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
One of the suspect’s mothers had placed a 911 call at around 9:42 a.m to warn them that her son could be suicidal. She claimed he had run away with a companion dressed in camouflage, taking her vehicle, along with several weapons.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl revealed at a press conference that the circumstances were not typically consistent with individuals plotting to die by suicide, which ‘began to elevate the threat level’.
He also said that officers were talking with the mother when the shooting outside the mosque was reported at around 11:43 a.m.
Upon arriving at the mosque-and-school compound located in the Clairemont neighborhood, police found three adults dead, including one of the security guards.
Not long after, officers were called to another scene just a few blocks away, where they found the two teen suspects dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
According to the New York Post, authorities allegedly recovered anti-Islamic writings, “hate speech” written on one of the weapons used in the attack, and a note referencing racial pride from inside the suspects’ vehicle.
Despite those findings, officials have not yet publicly confirmed a motive as the investigation remains ongoing.
The suspects have since been identified as 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez, both San Diego residents.
While little information about Vazquez has been publicly released so far, Clark was reportedly enrolled as a virtual student through the San Diego Unified School District’s iHigh Virtual Academy and also competed in wrestling at James Madison High School.
Reports state that Clark was a member of the wrestling team from 2024 to 2025 and won first place at a tournament in January 2024.
Chief Wahl said: “Because of the Islamic Center location, we are considering this a hate crime until it’s not.
“And at this point we’re going to work closely with the FBI to make sure that we are matching all the resources that we need for this investigation.”
Children were in class at the Al Rashid school when the terrifying incident unfolded on Monday, although no children or teachers were harmed during the attack.
READ MORE
- Never-before-seen text emerges from Chris Watts’ pregnant wife before he murdered her and two kids
- Local expert makes haunting claim about Maldives “shark caves” where four missing divers were found
