Two teenage suspects in a San Diego mosque shooting were found dead inside a vehicle containing a gas can with Nazi imagery and weapons inscribed with hate speech, sources have said.
A law enforcement source told the NY Post that anti-Islamic writings were found in the car and ‘hate speech’ was written on the weapons used in the shooting.
A shotgun and gas can with an ‘SS’ sticker on the side were also located at the scene where the suspects’ bodies were discovered.
After killing three victims outside the place of worship on Monday, both shooters died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
They were identified as Cain Clark, a 17-year-old high school wrestler, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, according to NBC News.
Authorities said in a Monday night news conference that police first received a call about a ‘runaway juvenile’.
The teenage shooters started spraying bullets outside the Islamic Center of San Diego at around 11.40am on Monday.
But police had already been on the lookout for the two teens, after one of their mothers called officers to report that her son had run away with ‘several of her weapons’ and her vehicle, Chief Scott Wahl said at a news conference.
A shotgun and gas can with an ‘SS’ sticker on the side were located at the scene where the suspect’s bodies were discovered
Cain Clark, 17, was one of two teenagers who opened fire at a California mosque on Monday before taking his own life
Members of the Muslim community in San Diego react after learning news about a shooting incident at their house of worship in San Diego, California
She had also found a note that her son left behind. ‘That began to trigger a larger threat assessment picture,’ he said.
‘After speaking with the mom, [she] began to piece together bits and pieces of information over an extended period of time,’ he noted.
‘The information that she was gathering and conveying to us began to elevate the threat level…’
Wahl said the call came in at around 9.42am, when the unidentified mother started to express her concerns about her son, who she said was suicidal.
The teenager had left with a friend, the mother told the police, and they were both dressed in camouflage, which Wahl said ‘is not consistent with what we would typically see with someone that is suicidal.’
Police described both teens as being dressed in camo fatigues and referred to the car they used as a 2018 BMW X1 SUV, on their radios shortly after the incident.
One officer said on the radio that guns ‘stolen from the house’ included ‘a 9mm handgun, a shotgun and a mini 14’.
Officers then used all resources at their disposal to locate the teenagers in the stolen car, including an automated license plate reader, which put them in the Clairemont area.
As a precaution, Wahl said he deployed officers to a local shopping mall and to Madison High School, where Clark attended classes virtually, according to NBC San Diego.
He had attended the district’s virtual online school ‘iHigh Virtual Academy,’ but did participate in Madison’s wrestling team for the 2024-2025 season, district officials told the outlet, adding that Clark was set to graduate this month.
‘While we were gathering this information and we were trying to zero in on where these individuals were at, we received a call at approximately 11.43am that there was an active shooter at the Islamic Center,’ Wahl said.
Officers arrived on the scene within four minutes, and found three people shot to death outside the building – including security guard Amin Abdullah, who was hailed as a hero after he sprang into action to protect others.
His friend Anees Faraj, a fellow security guard at the mosque who was not working, described the events as shocking and confirmed Amin as the guard who died.
Police Chief Wahl said that Amin and his actions helped prevent an even deadlier attack.
He added: ‘His actions were heroic and he undoubtedly saved lives today.’
Amin Abdullah, a father of eight, was among those killed in the rampage
Officers arrived on the scene in just four minutes, as they had already been searching for the teenagers
As many as 100 officers then combed the mosque for any signs of the shooters, breaking down doors as they evacuated the Al Rashid school on campus – which serves students in kindergarten through third grade.
But the teens had already fled the scene shooting at a landscaper working on a home, as they made their escape.
TV footage from a helicopter showed armed response teams gathered outside a building, with one unidentified person lying in a pool of blood.
The imam of the mosque confirmed that no children were injured during the shooting.
‘The entire school is safe. All the kids, all the staff and the teachers are safe out of the Islamic Center,’ Imam Taha Hassane said in a Facebook video update shortly after the shooting.
‘We have a few casualties, not confirmed yet. There is no threat at this moment, but we want everyone to stay away from the Islamic Center of San Diego.’
Panicked parents were later seen rushing to the scene to pick up their children after police set up a reunification site at San Diego Clairemont Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said he and his wife were left ‘horrified by today’s violent attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego, where families and children gather, and neighbors worship in peace and fellowship.
‘Today, this community space was shattered by gunfire,’ he said in a statement.
‘California sends our deepest condolences to the families and communities impacted by today’s shooting,’ the governor continued.
‘Worshippers anywhere should not have to fear for their lives. Hate has no place in California, and we will not tolerate acts of terror or intimidation against communities of faith.
‘Thank you to the brave law enforcement officers and first responders who acted swiftly to protect the children and worshippers.
‘To the San Diego Muslim community: California stands with you.’
President Donald Trump also called the shooting a ‘terrible situation.’
He said he has been briefed on the incident, but vowed: ‘We’re going to be going back and looking at it very strongly.’
