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Published 08:21 19 May 2026 GMT
The alleged gunmen behind an attack on a mosque in San Diego that left three dead have been identified as 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Velasquez.
According to reports, at least one of the teenagers obtained a weapon from their parents’ house and left a suicide note that contained references to race.
The incident began at around 9:42am on May 18th when a mom called the police concerned that her son had gone missing as well as several of her weapons - she believed that her son was suicidal.
She told the police that the had left with a friend, both dressed in camo, and had also taken her vehicle.
While police have not officially confirmed that this was the two people behind the shooting that took place later that day, many sources report that the timelines and information match up.
The three people killed in the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego were security guard Amin Abdullah, a father of eight children, as well as a grocery store owner and another man.
Police have hailed Abdullah’s actions as preventing more deaths.
Then, the two suspects fled in a white BMW, according to police.
The investigation remains ongoing and so far no concrete motive has been established, but several key details at the crime scene and beyond point to a racist attack.
The two alleged gunmen Cain and Velasquez were later found dead in the white BMW from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, along with a number of other grim details, such as ‘hate speech’ written on one of the firearms, according to the New York Post.
A gas canister found at the scene also showed an SS sticker - a symbol of the Nazi Schutzstaffel, a paramilitary organization from Germany run by Heinrich Himmel under Adolf Hitler’s regime.
According to reports, one of the gunmen left a suicide note that discussed ‘racial pride’.
The alleged gunmen in their teens were Cain Clark and Caleb Velasquez according to multiple sources.
Clark attended Madison High School and was reportedly a talented wrestler, featured on the school’s social media holding a medal.
After the fact, his grandfather David Clark is quoted as having said: ”We’re very sorry for what happened. We know as much as you do. It’s a shock.”
Little is known or has been reported about Velasquez.
