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San Diego Mosque Gunman Had Long History of Dressing as Mass Killers, Records Show

Court records and police reports point to missed prevention opportunities that could prompt changes to mental‑health holds, firearm access and school safety.

Overview

  • Two teenagers accused of the Islamic Center of San Diego attack last Monday shot and killed three people before dying in an apparent murder‑suicide, police and court records say.
  • Documents show Caleb Vazquez alarmed classmates and staff over more than a year with actions such as dressing as notorious killers, praising mass shooters, researching the dark web and making threats.
  • School officials and friends alerted police in January 2025, triggering a welfare check that led to a 72‑hour psychiatric hold and a temporary gun‑violence restraining order.
  • Police filings say officers could not interview Vazquez alone and that his father refused to let them verify that home firearms were secured; the family said it moved weapons to storage and a judge later dismissed the restraining order.
  • Federal and local investigators are treating the case as an active probe that includes a hate‑crime investigation, and the records have intensified questions about limits of short‑term holds, restraining orders and online radicalization.