The alleged gunmen in a shooting rampage that left three people dead outside a San Diego mosque have been identified as 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Velasquez, according to a law enforcement source.
At least one of the suspects took a weapon from their parents’ home and left a suicide note that talked about racial pride, a law enforcement source told The Post.
Clark attended Madison High School and was a standout wrestler, according to the school’s social media page. His grandfather, David Clark, 78, said: ”We’re very sorry for what happened. We know as much as you do. It’s a shock.”
Clark and Velasquez were found dead inside a BMW from self-inflicted gunshot wounds only a few blocks from the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Anti-Islamic writings were found in the suspects’ vehicle and “hate speech” was written on the firearms used in the shooting, according to the source.
A shotgun and gas can with an “SS” sticker on the side were located at the scene where the gunmen’s bodies were discovered.
The “SS” sticker appears to represent the Schutzstaffel, the paramilitary organization led by Heinrich Himmler under Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime in Germany.
Police revealed that around 9:42 a.m., they had received a call of a runaway juvenile from a concerned mother.
After speaking with the mom, police began to elevate the threat level the individual posed to the community.
The mom allegedly believed her son was suicidal and shared that several of her weapons were missing, as was her vehicle, according to police.
The mom also said her son was with a companion and that they were dressed in camo.
The police would not clarify whether or not the missing person was involved in the shooting, though most of the details line up with what The Post was told.
The three dead at the mosque were security guard and father of eight Amin Abdullah, who police say prevented more deaths, as well as a grocery store owner, and another man.
The two suspects fled in a white BMW, police said during a press conference Monday afternoon.
“We are safe, the entire school is safe. All the kids, all the staff, and the teachers are safe and out of the Islamic Center,” center Imam Taha Hassane said in a video obtained by The Post and circulated among California’s Muslim community.
Authorities said officers swarmed the Islamic Center within four minutes of the first emergency calls, launching what police described as a fast-moving and “dynamic” response.
Between 50 and 100 officers entered the Islamic Center during the response as police searched classrooms, prayer areas, and surrounding buildings.
The investigation remains ongoing and authorities have yet to release a motive, but the gunmen had inscribed anti-Islamic messages on their weapons and one left a suicide note promoting ”racial pride”.
