San Diego Mosque Gunman Idolized Notorious Killers, Was Fascinated with World War II
Court records say Caleb Vazquez fixated on mass killers and drew police scrutiny before the deadly attack that left three victims dead.
- Court records show Caleb Vazquez, 18, came to school dressed as Dexter, a serial killer character, alarming classmates at High Tech High in Chula Vista before he and Cain Clark, 17, killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18.
- Following a January 2025 welfare check and 72-hour mental health hold, Chula Vista police secured a temporary gun violence restraining order against Vazquez, which Superior Court Judge Enrique Camarena dismissed two weeks after the teen's father was served.
- Court documents reveal Vazquez made comments about wanting to experience a 'day of retribution' and expressed fascination with mass shootings; the teen became obsessed with Patrick Crusius, who murdered 23 people at an El Paso Walmart in 2019, and Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 in 2011.
- The shooting killed security guard Amin Abdullah, who saved 140 children by radioing a lockdown, mosque caretaker Mansour Kaziha, and neighbor Nadir Awad; Khalid Alexander, founder of Pillars of the Community, said authorities 'knew about these shooters' yet couldn't protect communities.
- Vazquez and Clark described themselves as 'The Sons of Tarrant,' citing 2019 New Zealand mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant as their 'biggest inspiration' and detailing extremist ideology in a 75-page manifesto centered on the 'great replacement' conspiracy theory.
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Court documents reveal disturbing signs with teen shooter before Mosque Attack
Court documents have raised questions about whether warning signs were missed before the deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, as police had sought a gun violence restraining order against the father of one of the gunmen due to concerns about his son's behavior and the presence of firearms in the home.
San Diego mosque gunman dressed as serial killer and idolized mass shooters, police say
Court records show police were so alarmed by the behavior of one of the gunmen who killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego that more than a year before the shooting, they obtained a gun violence restraining order against the teen, as his classmates and school administrators raised concerns he was idolizing mass shooters and threatening violence. Chula Vista police requested the gun violence restraining order against Caleb Vazquez,…
San Diego mosque shooter’s twisted obsession with dressing up as notorious serial killers at school
A teen accused in last week’s deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego had a twisted obsession with infamous mass killers and even showed up to school dressed like them before the attack.
San Diego mosque gunman idolized notorious killers, was fascinated with World War II
One of the teenage gunmen responsible for the deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego went to school dressed like notorious killers, court documents obtained by Scripps News Group station in San Diego show.Caleb Vazquez first landed on law enforcement's radar after two of his friends reported concerns to the assistant principal at High Tech High in Chula Vista when he started dressing up as various serial killers, including some who h…
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