LOS ANGELES – Federal authorities alerted the parents of one of two teenagers involved in a deadly San Diego mosque shooting just days before the attack, warning that their son had been making alarming comments about school shootings on the dark web, according to newly disclosed details in a recent lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, Caleb Vazquez’s mother claims Park Mental Health Treatment of San Diego failed to take action even after warning signs suggested her 18-year-old son presented an immediate danger to himself and others. Vazquez had been living at the facility while being treated for multiple mental health issues, including depression and psychotic episodes, the complaint says. The filing comes amid heightened scrutiny of adults and guardians in cases where teenagers gained access to weapons later used in mass shootings.
According to the lawsuit, filed Aug. 31 in a San Diego court, the FBI contacted Vazquez’s mother on the evening of May 14. She says she promptly left a message for the treatment center to alert staff about the federal warning. The next day, she again relayed the FBI’s concerns to her son’s therapist and later that night to a program director.
By the morning of May 18, the day of the shooting, facility staff informed Vazquez’s mother that he could not be found. Surveillance video later showed that Vazquez had left the property around 8 p.m. the previous evening, the lawsuit states.
As Vazquez’s parents searched for him that morning, the attack unfolded. Vazquez and another teenager killed three people at the San Diego mosque before both died by suicide.
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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