Hours after at least five people were dead following shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, law enforcement officials identified Cain Clark and Caleb Vazquez as the suspects, according to a report by NBC News. No motive has been provided and investigators are examining possible anti-Islamic writings found in the car where police found the dead suspects.
Police had said that three of the five people killed were connected to the Islamic Centre. The cops added that the two suspects, believed to be aged 17 and 19, died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The shooting triggered a major police response in the Clairemont area of San Diego, with between 50 and 100 officers deployed to the mosque and adjoining school campus. Authorities said officers entered classrooms, prayer halls and surrounding buildings as they searched for potential threats and evacuated worshippers and students.
Law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told CNN that one of the suspects in the shooting took a firearm from their parents’ home and left behind a suicide note containing references to racial pride. Officials also said that hate-related messages were written on one of the weapons used in the attack, though the exact wording has yet to be disclosed.
The Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in San Diego County, also houses the Al Rashid Weekend School, which provides Arabic language and Islamic studies instruction. An imam from the mosque said that all teachers, students, and school staff members present at the time of the shooting were safely evacuated.
BREAKING: At least 5 people killed, including 2 suspects and 3 adults, in shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego in California, police say. pic.twitter.com/Lljtlw92VB
— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) May 18, 2026
The mosque’s imam, Taha Hassane, later said all children, teachers and staff had been safely evacuated from the centre. “We are safe, the entire school is safe. All the kids, all the staff, and the teachers are safe and out of the Islamic Center,” he said in a video message circulated among the local Muslim community.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said at least one mosque member had died in the attack. San Diego police later announced that “the threat at the Islamic center has been neutralized”.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said emergency personnel were “actively working to protect the community and secure the area”.
Law enforcement agencies elsewhere in the United States, including the New York City Police Department and Fairfax County Police in Virginia, said they were increasing patrols around mosques as a precaution.
