Just days before an 18-year-old took part in a deadly shooting at a San Diego mosque, the FBI warned his parents that he had been making concerning comments about school shootings on the dark web, according to a lawsuit filed by his mother.
Per AP, The lawsuit alleges that Park Mental Health Treatment of San Diego failed to act on those warnings. This despite Caleb Vazquez living at the facility and receiving treatment for depression and psychotic episodes. The FBI reportedly contacted Vazquez’s mother, and she said she immediately left a message for the facility. She later shared the warning with her son’s therapist and a program director.
Vazquez and another teenager, 17-year-old Cain Clark, killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego before both died by suicide. The case had already drawn attention because of the warning signs surrounding Vazquez before the attack. This includes a January hospitalization after he reportedly told a classmate he wanted to carry out a school shooting.
The warning came days before Vazquez disappeared from the facility
Surveillance footage showed Vazquez leaving the treatment facility around 8 p.m., but employees did not contact his mother to tell her he was missing until the following morning. His parents were then driving around looking for him when the shooting took place. The lawsuit does not establish how Vazquez left the facility or if he was permitted to leave.
The facility has rejected the allegations. In a statement previously given to KPBS, Park Mental Health said the lawsuit was misguided and argued that neither the facility nor its employees were responsible for Vazquez’s actions. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment on the alleged warning, citing agency policy.
The attack itself left the San Diego Muslim community dealing with three deaths at one of the area’s largest mosques, while a security guard was among those killed while attempting to protect people inside. The shooting also prompted anger toward local leadership in the aftermath, as previously reported in a confrontation with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.
The allegations remain disputed, and the filing itself does not establish that the shooting could have been prevented had the facility acted differently. This does not take away from the fact that multiple people, including a security guard who died protecting others, lost their lives. The case now puts the facility’s handling of the warnings under renewed scrutiny alongside the broader investigation into the attack.
Published: Sep 8, 2026 06:15 pm