Family of San Diego mosque shooting suspect says it is deeply sorry

The family of Caleb Vasquez said it was “deeply sorry for the pain and devastation caused,” but the damage from the attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont has been felt most acutely inside the mosque, where worshippers, neighbors and city leaders are now confronting grief, fear and questions about how to keep a community safe after targeted violence.

The shooting on Monday, May 18, killed three people, Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad, and authorities are investigating the case as a hate crime. Police said Abdullah’s actions helped trigger a lockdown at the mosque and school complex, potentially saving about 140 children who were inside at the time. Kaziha was the first to call 911, and Awad rushed in to help after hearing gunfire. The Islamic Center of San Diego is the largest mosque in San Diego County, a fact that has made the attack reverberate far beyond Clairemont.

In the statement released Thursday through attorney Colin Rudolph, the family condemned the “hateful and violent actions” entirely and said Vasquez’s alleged actions “do not reflect the values we raised our family with or the beliefs we hold in our hearts.” The family also said Vasquez was on the autism spectrum and believed exposure to hateful rhetoric, extremist content and online propaganda contributed to his descent into radicalized ideologies and violent beliefs. The apology also extended to the landscaper who was targeted but not injured.

San Diego police said one suspect’s mother called at about 9:40 a.m. to report he had run away with her weapons and vehicle, while officers were still trying to locate him when the shooting happened at about 11:43 a.m. Police later said the two suspects were 17 and 18 years old and died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds in a vehicle nearby. The FBI and police said they recovered dozens of weapons, ammunition, tactical gear, a crossbow and writings expressing hate from homes linked to the suspects, and investigators said the teens appeared to have been radicalized online and connected over hateful ideology.

City officials lowered flags to half-staff in honor of the victims as the mosque, the families and local leaders absorbed the aftermath. The attack has left San Diego’s Muslim community facing not only mourning, but the longer shadow of fear that targeted violence can leave behind, from shaken trust to the possibility of copycat threats fueled by the same online hate investigators say helped shape this one.