Much remains unknown about the recent shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego that ended with three victims killed and the two teenaged suspects dead by their own hand. Initial reports from law enforcement suggest this was a hate crime. Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, were reportedly radicalized into white supremacy online, and left behind racist writings and symbols of Nazism and the Confederacy. A fuller view of their motives will no doubt emerge from the investigation, but in the meantime, one detail has emerged that’s all too common in cases with underage killers: Clark reportedly stole the guns used in the shooting from his mother.
San Diego police are yet to determine if they will file charges, but they have confirmed the weapons involved belong to a parent and not to either shooter. (The minimum age to legally purchase guns in California is 21.) Clark’s mother called the police before the shooting, telling them he had stolen her car and her guns, and was possibly suicidal. This is typical in these cases. In a 2025 analysis of school shootings committed by juveniles, the Washington Post found that in 86% of the 180 cases they examined, the weapons used came from the homes of friends, relatives or parents.
