Parents of San Diego mosque gunman say a mental health facility failed to heed FBI warning

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Just 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 making concerning comments about school shootings on the dark web, according to new details included in a recently filed lawsuit.

The mother of Caleb Vazquez alleges in her lawsuit that Park Mental Health Treatment of San Diego failed to intervene despite signs that her 18-year-old son posed an imminent threat to himself and others. Vazquez was living there and receiving treatment for a range of mental health conditions, including depression and psychotic episodes, the lawsuit says. The court filings follow a number of high-profile convictions of guardians who provided teenagers with weapons that were later used in mass shootings .

The FBI called Vazquez’s mother on the evening of May 14, and she said she immediately left a message with the treatment facility to notify its staff, according to the lawsuit, filed in a San Diego court on Aug. 31. Vazquez’s mother again shared the FBI’s warnings with her son’s therapist on May 15 and with a program director later that night.

On May 18, the morning of the shooting, employees at the facility contacted Vazquez’s mother to tell her that he was missing. Video surveillance footage subsequently showed Vazquez leaving the property at 8 p.m. the night before.

Vazquez’s parents were driving around looking for him on the morning of the shooting. Vazquez and another teenager killed three people at the San Diego mosque that day before taking their own lives.

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Teen charged with murder in San Diego mosque shooting for allegedly agreeing to publish shooters’ writings

It is unclear whether Vazquez was allowed to leave the previous evening or whether he broke facility rules by doing so. Park Mental Health offers a range of treatment options, some of which advertise 24-hour surveillance, while others provide more limited counseling.

The center did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Saturday afternoon. In a previous statement to radio station KPBS , Park Mental Health disputed the assertions in the lawsuit.

“While it is understandable that his parents might seek to blame someone in their time of loss, this lawsuit is misguided in that neither Park nor its employees are responsible for Mr. Vazquez’s actions,” the statement to KPBS read. “Only he and his coconspirator bear responsibility for their conduct and, ultimately, his death.”

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An FBI spokesperson declined to comment Saturday, citing agency policy.

The FBI’s alleged contact with Vazquez’s parents was not the first sign of his mental deterioration.

Vazquez had been hospitalized for roughly three days in January 2026 after telling a classmate that he wanted to carry out a school shooting.

Almost exactly a year earlier, Vazquez was flagged to law enforcement for exhibiting alarming behavior and idolizing Nazis, prompting police to confiscate 26 guns from his father under a 2014 California law allowing firearms to be taken from people considered dangerous.

Authorities have said Vazquez met the other shooter, Cain Clark, 17, online and that both were radicalized there. Police have not shared more details about how they knew each other or specified whose weapons were used in the shooting.

The lawsuit was filed on the same day that North Carolina authorities announced the indictment of a 17-year-old in connection with the shooting.

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据最近提交的一份诉讼中包含的新细节显示，就在两名青少年在圣地亚哥一座清真寺进行大规模枪击事件的几天前，联邦执法官员警告其中一名枪手的父母，他们的儿子在暗网上发表了有关校园枪击事件的令人担忧的言论。

卡莱布·瓦兹奎兹的母亲在诉讼中指控，圣地亚哥帕克心理健康治疗中心未能采取干预措施，尽管有迹象表明她18岁的儿子对自己和他人构成迫在眉睫的威胁。诉讼称，瓦兹奎兹当时居住在该中心，并接受包括抑郁症和精神病发作在内的多种心理健康问题的治疗。此前，一些监护人因向青少年提供武器而被定罪，这些武器后来被用于大规模枪击事件，引发了广泛关注。

根据8月31日在圣地亚哥法院提起的诉讼，联邦调查局于5月14日晚间致电瓦兹奎兹的母亲，她表示立即给治疗机构留言，通知工作人员。5月15日，瓦兹奎兹的母亲再次将联邦调查局的警告告知了她儿子的治疗师，并在当晚晚些时候告知了项目主管。

5月18日，也就是枪击案发生的当天上午，该机构的员工联系了瓦兹奎兹的母亲，告知她儿子失踪了。随后的监控录像显示，瓦兹奎兹在前一天晚上8点离开了该机构。

枪击案发生当天早上，瓦兹奎兹的父母开车四处寻找他。当天，瓦兹奎兹和另一名青少年在圣地亚哥清真寺枪杀了三人，随后自杀身亡。

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一名青少年因涉嫌同意发表枪手的文字而被控在圣地亚哥清真寺枪击案中谋杀罪。

目前尚不清楚瓦兹奎兹前一天晚上是否被允许离开，也不清楚他这样做是否违反了机构规定。帕克心理健康中心提供多种治疗方案，其中一些方案宣称提供24小时监控，而另一些方案则提供较为有限的咨询服务。

周六下午，该中心未立即回复记者的置评请求邮件。此前，帕克心理健康中心曾向电台KPBS发表声明，否认诉讼中的说法。

“虽然可以理解他的父母在失去亲人时想要找人责怪，但这起诉讼是错误的，因为帕克公司及其员工都无需为瓦兹奎兹先生的行为负责，”声明中写道。“只有他和他的同谋才应该为他们的行为以及最终导致他死亡的责任负责。”

Nelvin C. Cepeda/《圣地亚哥联合论坛报》/MediaNews Group RM/Getty Images

联邦调查局发言人周六以机构政策为由拒绝置评。

据称，联邦调查局与瓦兹奎兹父母的接触并不是他精神恶化的第一个迹象。

2026 年 1 月，瓦兹奎兹曾告诉一名同学他想在校园里进行枪击，之后他住院治疗了大约三天。

大约一年前，瓦兹奎兹因表现出令人担忧的行为并崇拜纳粹而被执法部门盯上，促使警方根据 2014 年加州一项允许从被认为危险的人手中没收枪支的法律，从他父亲那里没收了 26 支枪。

警方称，瓦兹奎兹在网上结识了另一名枪手，17岁的凯恩·克拉克，两人都在网上接受了极端思想影响。警方尚未透露更多关于两人如何相识的细节，也没有说明枪击案中使用的武器是谁的。

就在同一天，北卡罗来纳州当局宣布对一名与枪击事件有关的 17 岁少年提起诉讼。