WHO WERE THE TEENAGE SUSPECTS IN SAN DIEGO MOSQUE SHOOTING?

Tue 19 May 2026:

A fatal shooting at a mosque in San Diego, California, that killed three people was carried out by two teenagers who subsequently died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds, according to law enforcement.

Police have not officially named either suspect, though San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl told reporters that the suspects were aged 17 and 18. Wahl said one of the suspects has been linked to Madison High School, which is about 1 mile away from the Islamic Center of San Diego — the site of Monday’s shooting.

Cain Clark, 17, has been identified as one of the alleged gunman in Monday’s shooting at a San Diego mosque.Facebook/madison.warhawk.wrestling

Multiple media reports identified the suspects as Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18. Clark attended high school virtually and was expected to graduate later in May, NBC News reported, citing information provided by an anonymous school district official.

“We’re very sorry for what happened. We know as much as you do. It’s a shock,” David Clark, 78, Cain’s grandfather, said, according to the New York Post.

Additional information on Vazquez has yet to emerge. Both of the suspects were found dead in a car a few blocks away from the Islamic center after police said they opened fire on a landscaper.

The body of a suspect lies dead, and a gas container with an ”SS” sticker sits next to a white BMW.

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A motive has yet to be formally established, but police said that the attack is being investigated as a hate crime after authorities uncovered evidence of hate speech.

“At this point, there was definitely hate rhetoric that was involved. I’ll leave it at that for now,” said Wahl. An investigation remains ongoing, and the police chief said investigators would be serving additional search warrants “into the days ahead.”

Anti-Islamic writings were found in the suspects’ vehicle and “hate speech” was written on the firearms used in the shooting, a source told The Post.

Two senior law enforcement officials told NBC that police are examining potential Islamophobic notes found in the car where the suspects were found deceased.

The New York Post reported that Clark was a “standout wrestler,” citing information from the wrestling team’s Facebook page. The content now appears to have been either taken down or made private.

The “SS” sticker appears to represent the Schutzstaffel, Adolf Hitler’s paramilitary organization.

A gas can with the stylized letters “SS” was found near the vehicle, according to the New York Post. The sticker appears to be a reference to Nazi Germany’s Schutzstaffel, a powerful paramilitary group that was most heavily responsible for the crimes committed against Jews during the Holocaust.

Police revealed that around 9:42 a.m., they had received a call of a runaway juvenile from a concerned mother.

After speaking with the mom, police began to elevate the threat level the individual posed to the community.

The mom allegedly believed her son was suicidal and shared that several of her weapons were missing, as was her vehicle, according to police.

The mom also said her son was with a companion and that they were dressed in camo.

The police would not clarify whether or not the missing person was involved in the shooting, though most of the details line up with the shooter.

The three dead at the mosque were security guard and father of eight Amin Abdullah, who police say prevented more deaths, as well as a grocery store owner, and another man.

-Independent Press with Anadolu.

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