Overview
- Investigators say 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez and 17-year-old Cain Clark opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego, killing three men and then dying of self-inflicted gunshot wounds after fleeing the scene on May 18.
- Police recovered racist and anti‑religious writings, weapons with hateful inscriptions, and a gas canister bearing extremist stickers, and the FBI is treating the case as a hate crime while urging the public not to share unverified photos.
- Court records show Chula Vista police sought a gun‑violence restraining order for Vazquez in January 2025 after a 72‑hour psychiatric hold and reports of Nazi worship and mass‑shooter idolization, but a judge rescinded the temporary order and dismissed the case on March 11, 2025.
- Detectives executed searches of the Vazquez family home, collected boxes of evidence, and public records and family statements say the parents had previously removed firearms for storage and now say their son was autistic and had been radicalized online.
- Local police released a preliminary timeline that notes rapid officer response and staffing shortfalls in the northern division, and officials say the probe will focus on motive, online radicalization, firearm access, and why earlier interventions did not stop the violence.