Police Flagged Mosque Shooter Before Deadly Attack

The Warning Was Filed in January 2025

Court records reviewed by NBC News reveal that Chula Vista police obtained an emergency gun violence restraining order against Caleb Vazquez in January 2025, more than a year before the May 18, 2026 shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego that killed three men.

In the petition, a detective described Vazquez as someone who had come to school dressed as ‘Dexter,’ a fictional serial killer, and who was sharing social media posts idolizing the perpetrators of mass shootings in Norway and El Paso. School administrators had already conducted multiple threat assessments on the teenager.

‘His apparent admiration for these figures and incidents suggests a fixation on violence and extremist ideologies,’ police wrote in the filing, ‘which raises concerns about his mindset, potential for radicalization, and the possibility of harm to himself or others.’

What the System Did - and Didn’t Do

Chula Vista police placed Vazquez on a 72-hour psychiatric hold for evaluation. A judge granted the request for a gun violence restraining order, which prohibits someone from buying or possessing firearms or ammunition. His father, Marco Vazquez, wrote in a court declaration that he and his wife had voluntarily removed approximately 26 firearms from the home, placed them in a safe, and began monitoring their son’s online activity in partnership with his school.

Marco Vazquez said he believed the firearms were secured and that his son had no access to them.

A March 2025 hearing resulted in the restraining order being dismissed. Once Vazquez turned 18, prosecutors told CNN, the legal tools available to authorities and parents became significantly more limited due to civil liberties and due process concerns.

The Attack on May 18

On the morning of May 18, 2026, the mother of 17-year-old Cain Lee Clark called police to say her son was missing, along with several of her weapons and his car. Both Clark and Vazquez were dressed in camouflage, she told police. Police were still searching for Clark when reports came in of an active shooter at the Islamic Center of San Diego.

Security guard Amin Abdullah, who was stationed outside the mosque, exchanged gunfire with the two attackers and was shot. Before losing consciousness, Abdullah used his radio to implement a lockdown protocol that kept approximately 140 children inside the building. Abdullah and two other men - Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad - were killed in the attack. Both Vazquez and Clark later died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds in a nearby neighborhood.

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl called the shooting ‘every community’s worst nightmare.’ Investigators are examining a manifesto posted online that authorities say the attackers wrote, which referenced anti-Islamic, antisemitic, and anti-LGBTQ content and cited previous mass shootings as inspiration.

The Family’s Response

The Vazquez family issued a statement saying they were ‘heartbroken for the victims’ families and the affected community.’ They described their son as ‘an immensely lost, troubled, and misguided soul’ and expressed hope that ‘no other family or community ever has to endure this kind of tragedy again.’

Marco Vazquez said in the earlier court declaration that once his son became an adult, the family had limited legal tools to continue monitoring him. The family said they had kept working with him and encouraging therapy.

The Larger Question About Warning Systems

Amin Abdullah’s family and the mosque community have called his actions - radioing in the lockdown while wounded - an act of sacrifice that prevented a far larger casualty count. He is being remembered as someone whose training and instinct protected children he had never met.

The case has renewed attention to California’s gun violence restraining order laws, which allow courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a threat. The orders require ongoing legal follow-through to maintain - and when that follow-through lapses, the gap can close quickly.

The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime. The investigation remains open.

References: San Diego mosque gunman dressed serial killer idolized mass shooters | Cain Clark Caleb Vazquez San Diego shooting