Police in San Diego raided the home of one the teens accused of opening fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, killing three people.
On Friday, officers and detectives with the San Diego Police Department arrived at 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez’s two-story San Diego County home, where they were seen taking boxes and bags, presumably evidence connected to Monday’s massacre.
According to the New York Post, authorities loaded the evidence into a squad car, while residents, presumed to be Vasquez’s parents, left the scene in a black Acura.
The search occurred after Vasquez, along with Cain Clark, 18, arrived at the mosque in Clairemont just before noon Monday, where they opened fire.
The victims have been identified as:
- Amin Abdullah, 51
- Mansour Kaziha, 78
- Nadir Awad, 57
Abdullah, identified as a security guard, blocked the shooters and stopped them from getting to 140 children, who were ” just steps away,” AP News reports.
The two suspects then fled the scene in a white BMW before turning the guns on themselves.
Sources told ABC 7 that security footage showed Cain shooting Vazquez inside the vehicle before shooting himself. Police found both teens dead at the scene.
Mark Remily, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office, stated that the pair met online and both had a “broad hatred” toward many religions and races, which may have prompted the attack.
“They didn’t discriminate on who they hated.”
Caleb Vazquez
In January 2025, following concerns over Vazquez’s “suspicious behavior idolizing Nazis and mass shooters,” Chula Vista police filed a gun violence emergency protective order against the shooter’s father, Marco Vasquez.
According to court documents, Marco Vazquez told authorities that the guns were legal and kept in a safe. He refused to allow police to search the home, but voluntarily removed the guns himself.
Documents indicated that Marco and his wife, Lilliana Vazquez, had rifles, pistols, and shotguns in the residence, but Marco would not show police proof that the guns “were stored properly.”
Marco Vazquez later enrolled Caleb Vazquez in therapy and monitored his social media accounts, where the teen allegedly posted radicalized ideologies and violence.
“I am well aware of the seriousness of the allegations made against my son,” Marco wrote.
“That is why my wife and I took the initiative to remove all firearms, ammunition and accessories from our home and secure all sharp knives in our home.”
Vasquez was also placed on a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold. The gun restraining order was lifted around two weeks after its issuance.
Cain Clark
James Canning, a spokesman for San Diego Unified School District, told AP News that Clark had no disciplinary issues, attended the iHigh Virtual Academy, and was scheduled for next month’s graduation.
Neighbors reported that they had known the family for decades and that Clark appeared normal, taking interest in martial arts, wrestling, and offering to carry groceries in.
“As far as we knew, he was very nice. They were a nice family,” neighbor, Marne, 85, told The California Post.
“We were just flabbergasted. “We thought, ‘Oh my God,’ we couldn’t believe it. Just flabbergasted.”
Police stated that most of Clark’s radicalization happened discreetly online.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said Monday that Clark’s mother reported him missing at around 9:42 a.m. Monday, and said firearms were missing from the home.
She stated that he left behind a “racial pride” suicide note and was last seen with an acquaintance; both were wearing camouflage.
Police were still interviewing his mother when the mosque shooting began.
Manifesto
Authorities later found a 75-page manifesto, entitled “The New Crusade: Sons of Tarrant,” in which Clark claimed to have no remorse for the attack. Police said Clark claimed that if he survived the attack, he would let his attorneys handle things for him.
The manifesto also indicated that Clark cited mass killers Ted Kaczynski, Timothy McVeigh, and Anders Breivik as influences for the mosque assault. He also embraced Nazi or fascist ideology.
Vazquez, meanwhile, blamed the Jewish community for global problems, while calling the Holocaust a “complete fabrication.”
“Everyone has their own idea of who is to blame for all the wrong in the world,” Vazquez wrote.
“It’s the Jews,” he continued, writing the line four times before calling them the “most evil creature in the world.”
“Though officially I was not a part of any groups or organizations there are many I support, I would even go so far as to say I did it for Atomwaffen Division, Terrorgram, The Base, and North Korea.”
Vasquez also cited issues with his height affecting, calling it a great source of “pain and humiliation,” while Clark echoed his sentiments by writing,”… if you’re a man and you are below the magic six foot height, you’ll be treated as a lesser.”
Family Releases Statement
After Monday’s shooting, Vazquez’s parents released a statement claiming that he was autistic and that therapy and encouraging him to go to rehab centers “ultimately was not enough.”
“As much as we mourn the child we raised and love, we mourn even more deeply for the innocent lives of Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nadir Awad.”
Clark’s family has not issued a public statement.
[Featured images: (l) Cain Clark/Instagram/madison.warhawk.wrestling; (r) Caleb Vazquez/SoyToysCom/ Etsy]
