SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
Parents of San Diego mosque gunman sue mental health facility for failing to act on FBI warning before shooting
The mother of Caleb Vazquez, one of two teenagers who killed three people at a San Diego mosque on May 18, filed a lawsuit on Aug. 31 in a San Diego court alleging that Park Mental Health Treatment of San Diego failed to intervene despite being notified of FBI warnings about her son. The FBI called Vazquez's mother on the evening of May 14 to warn her that her son was making concerning comments about school shootings on the dark web; she says she immediately passed that warning to the facility. Vazquez, 18, and a second shooter, Cain Clark, 17, died at the scene after the attack.
Days before two teenagers carried out a mass shooting at a San Diego mosque, federal law enforcement officials warned the parents of one of the shooters that their son was posting concerning comments about school shootings on the dark web, according to a lawsuit filed Aug. 31 in a San Diego court.
The lawsuit, brought by the mother of Caleb Vazquez, alleges that Park Mental Health Treatment of San Diego failed to intervene despite multiple warnings. Vazquez was living at the facility and receiving treatment for mental health conditions including depression and psychotic episodes, according to the court filing. His mother says she left a message with the facility the evening of May 14 — the same night the FBI called her — then shared the FBI's warnings directly with her son's therapist on May 15 and with a program director later that night.
On the morning of May 18, facility employees contacted Vazquez's mother to say he was missing. Surveillance footage later showed Vazquez leaving the property at 8 p.m. the previous evening. It is unclear, according to CNN, whether he was permitted to leave or violated facility rules; Park Mental Health offers a range of treatment options, some with 24-hour surveillance and others with more limited counseling.