One of the alleged teenage gunmen who opened fire at a mosque in San Diego before taking his own life has been identified by multiple reports and officials as a virtual high school student and wrestler who was set to graduate soon.
Cain Clark was one of the suspects who opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego in San Diego’s Clairemont neighborhood on Monday, killing three men before apparently dying of self-inflicted gunshot wounds a few blocks away, according to reports citing anonymous sources and a police dispatch.
Investigators are working to determine the motive for the attack, but San Diego Police Chief Scot Wahl has said it is being investigated as a hate crime. The suspects have not been identified by police, who have only said they are 17 and 18.
But NBC News has identified them as Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, citing two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation and a federal law enforcement official. The New York Post identified the suspects as Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Velasquez, 18, citing a law enforcement official.
CNN said Clark had been named by a law enforcement source and police dispatch. Newsweek has approached San Diego Police to verify the names.
Clark was attending high school virtually, but was on track to graduate soon, James Canning, spokesperson for the San Diego Unified School District, told Newsweek.
Canning said Clark has been enrolled in the district’s iHigh Virtual Academy since 2021 and was on Madison High School’s wrestling team during the 2024-2025 school year.
“They took all of their classes online. They talked with teachers online,” Canning said. “That was the parent’s choice to move them into that school.”
Canning added: “It’s important to point out that this year, that student was not on campus at all.”
Clark’s grandparents, David and Deborah Clark, told CNN in an interview outside their home that they were “very sorry for what happened.”
“We’re trying to process this,” they said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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