Authorities investigating the shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego have revealed new details showing that the suspect’s mother had alerted police hours earlier that her son was suicidal and several weapons were missing from the family home.
San Diego Police Department Assistant Chief Scott Wahl confirmed that one of the suspects was enrolled at Madison High School, located roughly 1.1 miles north of the mosque.
“He was associated with the school as a student,” Wahl said during a press briefing.
The two teenagers identified as Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, killed three men at a mosque in San Diego before taking their own lives a few blocks away on Monday.
Read more: Who were Cain Clark and Caleb Vazquez? Islamic Center of San Diego shooting suspects identified
Mother warned police about missing firearms before shooting
Wahl said that the mother of one of the suspects contacted authorities shortly before the shooting, reporting that her teenage son had run away from home and may have taken firearms with him. She also warned dispatchers that he was suicidal.
The mother shared the suicide note she found with authorities; however, Wahl did not detail the contents of the note.
According to Wahl, the woman informed authorities that several weapons, along with her vehicle, were missing from he home.
According to Wahl, the mother reported to the police that her son was with someone else and that they were both “dressed in camo.” Officers started utilizing computerized license plate readers and other technology to find the teenagers.
In an effort to locate the car, police were sent to a mall and Madison High School, where one of the teenagers was enrolled.
At approximately 11:43 local time, police were with the mother just a few streets from the Islamic Center of San Diego when there was a report of an active shooter.
Read more: San Diego mosque shooting videos: Scary scenes at Islamic Center amid active shooter reports; watch
The San Diego shooting being investigated as “hate rhetoric”
The two teenagers were discovered dead in the vehicle from what seemed to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds in a nearby car, while the three people who were killed by the teenagers were discovered at the mosque.
Wahl stated that investigators were aware of “generalized hate rhetoric” in the case and are looking into the incident as a hate crime.
Police have confirmed that the suicide note that the mother of one of the suspects found contained “general hate speech.” However, no specific threat had been made against the Islamic Center of San Diego.
