San Diego Mosque Shooting: Teen Accused of Livestreaming Attack Now Faces Murder Charge
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A 17-year-old girl from North Carolina who allegedly recorded and shared a livestream connected to the deadly Islamic Center of San Diego shooting has been charged with murder, according to newly reported developments in the case.
The development adds another dimension to the investigation into the May 18 attack, which left three people dead and involved two teenage gunmen who were later found dead in a nearby vehicle. San Diego police and the FBI have continued investigating the attack and the online activity surrounding it.
City of San Diego
Livestream became an important part of investigation
Investigators have examined recordings showing that people outside the mosque attack were able to watch portions of the violence through online video calls.
CBS News reported that at least three people watched a livestream while the attackers were carrying out the assault. One viewer reportedly urged another person to contact law enforcement, although it remains unclear whether an emergency call was made at that point.
Authorities have also been investigating how recordings of the attack were subsequently distributed online.
Three people were killed
The May 18 attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego resulted in the deaths of three adult men, including a mosque security guard.
Police identified the attackers as 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez. Both were later found dead inside a vehicle, with authorities reporting that they appeared to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
The shooting was investigated as a potential hate crime, while federal authorities also examined evidence of violent extremism and online radicalization.
Authorities investigating online connections
Investigators have been examining communications between the suspects and other people who may have interacted with them online before or during the attack.
A preliminary timeline released by the San Diego Police Department shows that one suspect’s mother contacted police earlier that morning to report her 17-year-old son missing. She told dispatchers that he had left home with another young man he had apparently met online.
City of San Diego
That information became part of the broader investigation into how the two teenagers connected and what occurred in the hours before the mosque attack.
Federal investigation continues
The FBI and San Diego Police Department have been working together on the case.
Authorities have conducted searches and examined firearms, ammunition, electronic devices and other evidence connected to the suspects. Officials have also been investigating writings and online material associated with the teenagers for evidence of extremist ideology or possible motivations.
Charges add new development
The murder charge against the teenager accused of recording the livestream represents a significant expansion of the investigation beyond the two deceased gunmen.
Prosecutors will ultimately have to establish what role the teenager allegedly played and what evidence supports the murder allegation. The precise legal theory behind the charge and additional allegations may become clearer through court proceedings.
Because the defendant is a juvenile, additional information about her identity, circumstances and alleged conduct may be restricted by juvenile-court rules.
Investigation remains active
Authorities continue to reconstruct the events surrounding the mosque attack, including the actions of the gunmen, their online contacts and the people who may have witnessed or recorded the violence remotely.
Officials have repeatedly asked the public not to circulate graphic footage from the attack and instead provide potentially useful evidence directly to investigators.
The case remains ongoing, and the murder allegation against the teenager has not been proven in court. She is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
