17-year-old suspect attended virutal high school and was set to graduate this month, district says
Cain Clark was attending school virutally and was on track to graduate later this month, a spokesperson for the San Diego Unified School District said.
The 17-year-old never attended classes at Madison High School, about 1 mile from the Islamic Center, but lived in its attendance zone and could have attended classes there if he chose to, according to spokesperson James Canning.
Clark did wrestle at Madison during the 2024-25 season, Canning said.
He was participating in the district’s iHigh Virtual Academy and would have graduated this month, he said.
Officials have said the 17-year-old, and another suspected teenage gunman, died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds after the attack at the center.
Islamic Center director pleads with public to spread tolerance
The Islamic Center of San Diego’s director and imam, Taha Hassane, pleaded with the public to spread tolerance and love instead of hate.
Hassane spoke at the afternoon news conference about the deadly attack at his institution this morning, decrying the conditions that could create such violence.
“My community is mourning,” he said. “The religious intolerance and the hate that unfortunately exists in our nation is unprecedented.”
He suggested Americans can reverse ill will by encouraging tolerance. It needs to be done, he said, “for the sake of this nation, for the sake of the future generations.”
“All of us are responsible for spreading the culture of tolerance, the culture of love,” he added.
The center is closed until further notice, but he reminded the public that when it’s open, it’s open to everyone.
“It’s a house of worship,” Hassane said. “It’s not a battlefield.”
He continued: “We never ask them whether they are Muslim or not, because everyone is welcome.”
San Diego mayor vows ‘full force’ of police against hate-inspired violence
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria decried hate-inspired violence and said anyone who engages in it in his city will be met with the “full force” of local law enforcement.
“No one in our city should live in fear because of their identity, their faith or their place of learning,” he said at today’s news conference.
He lamented that the attack happened during a season of holidays essential to the Muslim faith.
“Hate has no home in San Diego,” Gloria said. “Islamophobia has no home in San Diego. We will not stand for it.”
Suspect left behind note, police chief says
The mother of one of two suspects said he left behind a note, Wahl said.
The contents will not be immediately revealed, he said.
“She found some note from him,” Wahl said. “What that note looks like, what that note says, I’m not going to disclose right now.”
The suspects were found dead in a vehicle blocks away from the Islamic Center, and police said they believe they succumbed to self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Wahl said police who interviewed the mother earlier in the morning after she reported that her son had run away believed that “there was a bigger threat picture here that we needed to consider.”
Slain security guard ‘saved lives,’ police chief says
One of three people who died at the Islamic Center was a security guard who is believed to have taken action that minimized the carnage, Wahl said.
“We do believe the security guard was able to help at least minimize the situation to the front area of the mosque,” he said.
While investigators haven’t sorted through all the facts yet, Wahl said it appears that the guard sprang into action.
“At this point, I think it’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” Wahl said. “Undoubtedly, he saved lives today.”
One of the suspects was student at nearby high school
One of the teenage suspects was a student at nearby Madison High School, but authorities said there never appeared to be any known threat to the campus, Wahl said.
“He was associated with the school as a student,” Wahl said.
The school, one of two public high schools serving the Clairemont community, is 1.1 miles north of the mosque.
Suspect’s mother called police to report he’d run away
San Diego police got their first call around 9:42 a.m. from the mother of one of the suspects, who said her son had gone missing, along with her firearms and car, Wahl told reporters.
She also said her son was suicidal and was most likely in the company of a friend, Wahl said. Both young men were wearing fatigues, she told police.
Investigators were able to make a connection between one of the suspects and Madison High School, about a mile from the Islamic Center of San Diego, Wahl said.
At 11:43 a.m., police received reports of an active shooter at the mosque.
“Officers were in the area still talking with Mom, trying to piece together where they might be, the locations that she felt that they would be at, and that was just a few blocks away,” Wahl said. “Those officers, once they heard what was happening at the Islamic Center, immediately dispatched themselves to the mosque.”
When police arrived, they found three of the victims already dead. As police were searching for a suspect inside the Islamic center, dispatchers got calls that a landscaper may have been shot at blocks away, Wahl said.
After that, another report came in that the two suspects were dead in a car from gunshots, he said.
Investigators are now serving search warrants.
“We’re going to continue following any leads and any information that comes forward as we’re all focused on figuring out how this happened and what could we have done to prevent it,” Wahl said.
‘Hate rhetoric’ involved in shooting, police chief says
Wahl, the police chief, reiterated that the shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.
“At this point, there was definitely hate rhetoric that was involved,” he said in response to a question at a news conference. “I’ll leave it at that for now.”
“There was generalized hate rhetoric and speech,” but no specific threat was made to “any facility or any place,” he said.
Sources ID suspects in mosque shooting
Two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation and a federal law enforcement official identified Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, as the suspects in today’s shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Previously, law enforcement officials said the suspects died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. At a briefing this afternoon, police said the suspects were 17 and 19. At a new conference this evening, the chief said the suspects were 17 and 18.
No motive has been provided. Investigators are examining possible anti-Islamic writings found in the car where police found the dead suspects, two senior law enforcement officials said.
Trump calls Islamic Center attack a ‘terrible sitiuation’
President Donald Trump tonight called the Islamic Center attack “a terrible situation.”
“I’ve been given some early updates, but we’re going to be going back and looking at it very strongly,” he said when he was asked about the situation.
Day’s events are ‘painful and traumatic,’ Islamic Center says
The Islamic Center of San Diego said it will be closed until further notice, calling today’s shooting “an extremely painful and traumatic day for our congregation, students, staff, and the broader San Diego community.”
The center asked the public to keep victims in their prayers, avoid speculation and rely on authorities to sort out what happened and why.
“Places of worship are meant to be spaces of peace, prayer, reflection, and community,” the center said in a statement. “Violence and hatred have no place in our society.”
It thanked first responders and said updates on possible counseling and support will be forthcoming.
Newsom says California stands with San Diego’s Muslim community
Newsom said he and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, are “horrified” by today’s attack and told San Diego’s Muslim community, “California stands with you.”
“Jennifer and I are 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,” Newsom said in a statement.
He offered his condolences to those affected by the shooting and said personnel from the California Highway Patrol and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services are on the scene coordinating with local authorities and offering the state’s support.
“Worshippers anywhere should not have to fear for their lives,” Newsom said. “Hate has no place in California, and we will not tolerate acts of terror or intimidation against communities of faith.”
Authorities probe possible anti-Islamic writings linked to suspects
Investigators are examining possible anti-Islamic writings found in the car where police discovered the dead suspects, two senior law enforcement officials said.
Mosque attack occurred at beginning of holy month
Muslims throughout the world today are observing the second day of Dhu’l-Hijja, which takes place annually on the last month of the Islamic calendar. It is considered one of the holiest months and translates to “month of the pilgrimage.”
It marks a time when millions of faithful embark on the Hajj, an annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The Hajj, the largest gathering of Muslims in the world, will begin this year on May 25, the United Arab Emirates announced today.
3 men killed at Islamic center were found in front of mosque, police say
Three men were found dead in front of the Islamic Center of San Diego, officials said.
Officers found the men minutes after they were dispatched to the mosque at 11:43 a.m., Police Chief Scott Wahl said.
Around the same time, Wahl said, authorities began getting calls about gunfire a couple of blocks away.
A landscaper who was working in the area was shot at but uninjured, Wahl said.
Moments later, he said, officers were called to a vehicle in the street with the apparent suspects inside. Both appeared to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, he said, noting that investigators believe no officers fired their weapons.Show more
LAPD to dispatch extra patrols to L.A.-area mosques
The Los Angeles Police Department said it will provide increased patrols to Los Angeles-area mosques, Islamic centers and other houses of worship in the city, which is about 2 hours north of San Diego.
There is no known threat in Los Angeles, police said in a statement.
In a separate statement, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she is “outraged and heartbroken” by the attack.
“I am outraged and heartbroken by today’s shooting and murder at the Islamic Center of San Diego, especially as today marks the first day of Dhul Hijjah, a sacred and holy time for Muslims,” the statement read in part. “Houses of worship must be true sanctuaries where hate and violence have no place.”
Suspects are believed to be 17 and 19, officials said
The suspects were teenagers, and the people they shot were adult men, law enforcement officials said.
The suspects, believed to be 17 and 19, appeared to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said.
One of the victims is a mosque security guard who played a “pivotal” role in preventing more bloodshed, he said.
Wahl said authorities are still investigating a possible motive and are considering the shooting a hate crime “until it’s not.”
Neighbor describes area near shooting as ‘community-driven’
Isaiah Miller said he was shocked when he heard news that a mosque in his new neighborhood was the target of a shooting today.
Miller, who has lived in the area for just a month, told NBC San Diego that his favorite thing about his neighborhood is how friendly and welcoming everyone has been.
“It’s very community-driven area right over here. Everybody kind of knows everybody. I love that,” he said.
Now, he just hopes they’re all safe.
Five dead, including two suspects, police chief says
Two suspects and three adults were killed at the Islamic Center of San Diego, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl told reporters.
Their identities have not been made public.
President has been briefed on the shooting, White House says
A White House official said President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting.
San Diego police announced that the threat at a mosque in the Clairemont neighborhood has been neutralized. Police said the scene has been contained. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been briefed.
NBC News law enforcement analyst Jim Cavanaugh breaks down the response to the shooting.
CAIR says shooter killed one person
At least one person was killed by a gunman at the Islamic Center of San Diego today, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement.
The group did not immediately provide additional details.
School teachers, students and staff members are safe, imam says
An imam said teachers, students and other school staff members who were at the mosque are safe.
“There is no threat at this moment, but we want everyone to stay away from the Islamic Center of San Diego,” he said in a video statement. “We are closed for the rest of the day. Stay safe, stay at home, and make a lot of prayers.”
CAIR condemns attack at San Diego mosque
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the shooting was a “horrifying act of violence” that no one should ever have to experience at school or their house of worship.
“We strongly condemn this horrifying act of violence at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this attack,” CAIR said in a statement. “No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school.”
CAIR-San Diego representatives are on the scene monitoring developments.
At least one suspect is dead, officials say
Bill Feather, Andrew Blankstein, Jonathan Dienst and Tom Winter
At least one suspect is dead, according to two senior law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the matter and two other law enforcement officials briefed on the matter.
Police have not released a specific motive for the shooting the suspect’s name.
It is unclear whether there are additional injuries or deaths.
San Diego police say threat ‘has been neutralized’
San Diego police said the threat at the Islamic Center in Clairemont “has been neutralized.”
The department did not immediately provide additional information about the suspect or suspects.
The agency’s statement came more than an hour after it first reported an active-shooting situation at the mosque.
NYPD says it is increasing deployments to mosques
The New York Police Department said it is deploying more officers to mosques in response to the active shooter situation in San Diego.
“While there is currently no known nexus to NYC or specific threats to NYC houses of worship, out of an abundance of caution, the NYPD is increasing deployments to mosques across the city,” the department said in a statement.
Authorities believe there is at least one shooter at mosque
Authorities believe there is at least one shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the city’s police department said.
There are no confirmed details about the status of the suspect or suspects, nor is there confirmed information about possible victims, the department said.
Officers responded to the incident after receiving multiple reports of an active shooter. Multiple nearby schools were placed on lockdown as the incident developed, the department said.
San Diego police say scene is ‘active but contained’
The scene at the Islamic Center of San Diego is still “active but contained,” the city’s police department said in a statement.
The department said it has significant resources on scene and it established a reunification location at 4125 Hathaway Street.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom briefed on situation
Jay Varela and Tim Stelloh
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the active shooter situation, his press office said in a statement.
Emergency management officials with the governor’s office are coordinating with local law enforcement, according to the statement.
“We are grateful to the first responders on the scene working to protect the community and urge everyone to follow guidance from local authorities,” Newsom’s office said.
San Diego police asks public to avoid area of mosque
The San Diego Police Department asked the public to avoid the area surrounding the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Its officers were on scene responding to reports of an active shooter, the department said just after 12 p.m. PT on social media.
Large law enforcement presence seen at mosque
Aerial video from NBC San Diego showed a significant law enforcement response at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Dozens of officers could be seen at the mosque, including some with their weapons drawn.
Other officers could be seen escorting children and an adult from the center.
San Diego mayor says there’s an active shooter situation at mosque
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said he was aware of an active shooter situation at a mosque in the Clairemont area.
Emergency personnel were on scene and actively working to protect the community, he said.
The Islamic Center of San Diego is roughly 8 miles north of downtown San Diego.
