After a shooting incident at San Diego's Islamic Center, two people observed a vigil held outside the center, and candles with victims' names were placed outside the Islamic Center. The police had received a report that a shooter's father had his firearms confiscated.
Candles with victims names are placed outside the Islamic Center of San Diego in the aftermath of a shooting on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in San Diego .
Two people pray during a vigil, the day after a shooting, outside of the Islamic Center of San Diego, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in San Diego. People embrace outside the security office of the Islamic Center of San Diego, a day after a shooting, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in San Diego.
at a San Diego mosque this week was flagged to law enforcement last year for exhibiting alarming behavior and idolizing Nazis, prompting police to confiscate his father's guns, according to court records.
The officers who conducted a welfare check at the home of Caleb Vazquez wrote that he was “involved in suspicious behavior idolizing nazis and mass shooters,” and obtained a court order on Jan. 29, 2025, to remove 26 guns under a 2014 California law allowing the confiscation of firearms from people considered dangerous. Vazquez's father initially denied police entry into his home when they requested to see how he was storing his weapons.
Vazquez’s parents had voluntarily removed the guns from the house and placed them in a secure storage facility days earlier, according to an affidavit signed by Marco Vazquez, the father. Authorities have said Vazquez, 18, met Cain Clark, 17, online, where they both were radicalized. Police haven't shared more details about how they knew each other, or specified whose weapons were used in the shooting.
Cain Clark’s mother told law enforcement that weapons were missing from her home on Monday, kicking off an hourslong search for the teens before they committed the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego and then killed themselves, police said. Court filings show Vazquez decided to “secure all sharp knives in the home” and removed from the house the firearms that they had previously kept in a secure gun safe into an outside storage facility.
The affidavit also mentions unspecified serious allegations against their son, who was also previously committed to an involuntary psychiatric hospitalization. The court filings, first reported by The New York Times, didn't say what he was admitted for. The Vazquez family said in a statement released Thursday that Caleb Vazquez was on the autism spectrum and had grown to resent parts of his identity — but didn’t specify what aspects were challenging to him.
“Coming from a diverse family that not only includes immigrants but Muslims as well, we always taught the importance of acceptance, compassion, and love for one another. We are proud of the different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, and religions within our family and community,” their statement said.
“We believe this, combined with exposure to hateful rhetoric, extremist content, and propaganda spread across parts of the internet, social media, and other online platforms, contributed to his descent into radicalized ideologies and violent beliefs,” said their statement, released through their attorney Colin Rudolph. They encouraged him to seek help and he spent time in rehabilitation centers, the statement said. Vazquez's parents did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment from The Associated Press.
An attorney who represented Vazquez's parents when their guns were confiscated also didn't immediately respond to calls. In writings by Vazquez and Clark that expressed white supremacist views, Vazquez wrote of having “some mental health issues” and being rejected by women. They suggest both teenagers idolized previous shooters who have died while carrying out mass shootings. The writings expressed hatred toward Jewish people, Muslims, Black people and a range of other groups.
Vazquez left the San Diego Unified School District in June 2018 after attending Washington Elementary up until the 5th grade, district spokesperson James Canning told The Associated Press. It’s unclear where he went to school after that. Police began searching for the teens on Monday after Clark's mother called to say her son was suicidal and ran away.
She told them he was dressed in camouflage, had taken multiple weapons from the home, and was with an acquaintance, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said earlier this week. Officers were still interviewing the mother about places the teens might be when the shooting began at the county's largest mosque. Vazquez's father said in a 2025 court statement that his family made a concerted effort to steer Caleb Vazquez back onto the right track.
He said when they locked away their weapons, they were in communication with his school, were monitoring his social media presence closely and he was in therapy twice a week.
“We observe all of his online activities, who he talks to, what he talks about, and who he is friends with,” Marco Vazquez wrote, emphasizing that he didn't support his son's ideology. Some experts say it's increasingly difficult to help people drawn to the kind of radicalism Vazquez and Clark expressed. Samira Benz works for the Violence Prevention Network, which conducts interventions when people are radicalized into believing in violent extremism.
Benz said the work has become increasingly complicated as the internet blurs ideologies and creates niche, meme-based languages that can be fleeting and hard to decipher.
“Even if a parent is looking at the phone of their child, they don’t necessarily see something bad is going on,” Benz said. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Attack the Basket. Finish Strong. Go Spurs Go. WATCH: Thursday night flooding on Interstate 35 lower levelHer Best Friend Tried to Stop It — Nobody ListenedSomeone Dumped Paint on a Spurs Fan's Car & It's HeartbreakingSean Elliott Picks Up The Bill for H.E.
B. ShoppersSA Bakery cooking up Spurs treatsOne street drop, one street honor — SA City Council has two big votes comingSA Fans Share Their Spurs Playoff RitualsArmy vet refuses to neuter his dog — and he's fighting back
Religion Crime Violence Shooting Islamic Center Candles San Diego Shooting Victims' Names Idolizing Nazis Nazis Mass Shooters White Supremacist Hate Autism Spectrum Rehabilitation Centers Mental Health Issues
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
San Diego County on Edge After Deadly Attack on Islamic CenterSan Diego County religious leaders remain on edge after Monday’s deadly attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Law enforcement officials have increased patrols around houses of worship, but Muslims feel vulnerable given the recent nationwide increases in Islamophobic threats and rhetoric.
Read more »
The teens who attacked the Islamic Center of San Diego were latest to cite prior atrocitiesAn attack at a California Islamic center is the latest violence where the perpetrators said they were inspired by past atrocities, such as the 2019 massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Read more »
The teens who attacked the Islamic Center of San Diego were latest to cite prior atrocitiesAn attack at a California Islamic center is the latest violence where the perpetrators said they were inspired by past atrocities, such as the 2019 massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Read more »
Three men remembered at Islamic Center of San Diego memorial serviceThe memorial service took place at La Vista Memorial Park in National City, where the three men were buried beside each other. Messages of mourning and condolences were shared on social media.
Read more »