At least one of the two teenagers who opened fire inside the Islamic Center of San Diego left behind a suicide note that discussed racial pride, a law enforcement source told the New York Post, offering the clearest window yet into the motive behind an attack that killed three worshippers and ended with both gunmen dead.
The note is one piece of a growing body of evidence that investigators say points to a hate crime. Anti-Islamic writings were found in the suspects' vehicle. Hate speech was scrawled on the firearms they carried. And the FBI says the pair met online, bonded over what officials described as a "broad hatred" toward different religions and races, and stockpiled weapons before the Monday morning assault.
The suspects have been identified as 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Velasquez. Both were found dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds in a vehicle stopped on a road a few blocks from the mosque, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl confirmed.
A law enforcement source provided the most direct account of the note's contents to the New York Post:
"At least one of the suspects took a weapon from his parents' home and left a suicide note that talked about racial pride."
The Daily Mail reported on the note's discovery and its racial-pride language, consistent with the Post's law enforcement source. Authorities have not publicly released the full text of the note or said which suspect authored it.
The FBI confirmed that investigators uncovered writings by both teenagers after the attack, AP News reported. Officials said the suspects shared a broad hatred toward multiple religions and races, not just Islam. Investigators recovered 30 firearms and a crossbow from two residences tied to the pair and were still working to determine whether the shooters had broader plans beyond the mosque.
FBI official Remily said authorities are still trying to uncover whether the shooters had broader plans. That question carries weight given the volume of weapons recovered and the evidence that both suspects harbored hatred spanning multiple groups.
Hours before the shooting, one suspect's mother called San Diego police. She reported her son as a runaway juvenile and told officers that firearms and her vehicle were missing from the home. She also said she believed her son was suicidal.
Chief Wahl described the escalation that followed:
"That began to trigger a larger threat assessment picture."
The mother's call raised the alarm, but the attack unfolded before authorities could intervene. The Washington Examiner reported that Wahl said "hate rhetoric" was involved in the shooting and that the department is investigating it as a hate crime. The combination of stolen weapons, a missing vehicle, a suicidal teenager, and a companion created what police now describe as a rapidly escalating threat picture.
Investigators have not publicly confirmed how much time elapsed between the mother's call and the attack, or what specific steps officers took during that window. Those details will likely become central to any review of whether the shooting could have been prevented.
The case echoes patterns seen in other recent incidents where warning signs preceded planned mass violence, raising persistent questions about the gap between threat identification and intervention.
Fox News reported that the two suspects were identified as Clark, 17, and Velasquez, 18. Both were found dead in a vehicle near the Islamic Center with apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Just The News confirmed the identifications and reported that the attack killed three people at the mosque, bringing the total death toll to five including the two suspects.
Clark was identified as a former high school wrestler. His grandfather, David Clark, spoke briefly to the Post:
"We're very sorry for what happened. We know as much as you do. It's a shock."
The FBI said the two teenagers met online. Investigators have not disclosed when or on what platform the pair connected, or how long they had been in contact before the attack. The online connection adds a layer of complexity to the investigation, since it suggests the plot may have developed outside the view of family members and local contacts who might otherwise have noticed escalating behavior.
Questions about how young suspects acquire weapons and plan attacks have become a recurring theme in American mass-violence cases. In a recent case involving an ex-firefighter who allegedly armed himself and drove hours to carry out a targeted attack, similar questions arose about access to firearms and missed intervention points.
Chief Wahl's public statements have been direct. He confirmed that hate rhetoric was involved and that the department is treating the shooting as a hate crime. The anti-Islamic writings found in the vehicle and the hate speech written on the firearms support that classification.
But the FBI's findings suggest the suspects' hatred was not limited to one group. Officials described a broad animosity toward multiple religions and races. Investigators will need to determine whether the Islamic Center was chosen as a specific target or whether the suspects considered other potential targets as well. The 30 firearms and crossbow recovered from two residences suggest preparation that may have extended beyond a single attack.
Authorities have not said whether either suspect had a prior criminal record or had previously come to the attention of law enforcement before the mother's call. Those gaps in the public record will likely narrow as the FBI and San Diego police continue their investigation.
The firearms debate surrounding mass shootings continues to play out at the state level as well. In Virginia, a local prosecutor recently vowed to block enforcement of a new gun ban, highlighting the tension between legislative action and on-the-ground enforcement priorities.
Three people died inside the Islamic Center of San Diego. Authorities have not publicly released the victims' names or detailed the circumstances of their final moments. What is known is that they were at a mosque on a Monday morning when two armed teenagers walked in and opened fire.
The attack adds to a pattern of violence at houses of worship that has alarmed communities across the country. For the families of the victims, the note's contents and the investigation's findings will not undo what happened. But they may eventually answer the question that follows every act of targeted violence: could anyone have stopped it?
Investigators have not publicly confirmed whether the mosque had security measures in place or whether anyone inside attempted to intervene. The shooting unfolded quickly enough that both suspects were able to leave the building and travel several blocks before taking their own lives.
Gun violence continues to strike communities with little warning. Just recently, a seventeen-year-old was killed and four others wounded at a Tennessee pre-prom gathering, another reminder that the threat of sudden violence touches every corner of American life.
The FBI and San Diego police are running parallel tracks. One focuses on the full scope of the suspects' writings, communications, and online activity. The other centers on how they acquired 30 firearms and a crossbow, and whether anyone else knew what they were planning.
Investigators will also need to determine whether the pair acted alone or had contact with any broader network. The online meeting point between Clark and Velasquez raises the possibility that digital evidence could reveal connections or influences that have not yet surfaced publicly.
For now, the suicide note referencing racial pride and the anti-Islamic writings on the weapons tell a grim but incomplete story. The full picture depends on what the FBI pulls from devices, platforms, and the 30 recovered firearms.
When teenagers meet online, stockpile weapons, scrawl hate on their guns, and attack a house of worship, the system that was supposed to catch them has already failed. The question is whether anyone with the power to act will treat that failure as something worth fixing.
