LOS ANGELES – Federal authorities alerted the parents of a teenager who later took part in a deadly San Diego mosque shooting that their son had been posting alarming remarks about school shootings on the dark web, according to newly revealed claims in a lawsuit filed recently.
In the lawsuit, Caleb Vazquez’s mother claims Park Mental Health Treatment of San Diego did not take adequate action despite warning signs that her 18-year-old son may have presented an immediate danger to himself and to others. Vazquez had been living at the facility while being treated for several mental health issues, including depression and psychotic episodes, the complaint says. The case comes amid heightened scrutiny over adult responsibility in mass shootings, following several major convictions involving guardians who supplied firearms to teenagers later involved in deadly attacks.
According to the lawsuit, filed Aug. 31 in 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, May 15, she again relayed the FBI’s concerns to her son’s therapist and later that night to a program director, the filing states.
On the morning of May 18, the day of the shooting, staff members at the facility called Vazquez’s mother to say he could not be found, according to the lawsuit. Surveillance video later showed that Vazquez had left the property around 8 p.m. the previous evening.
That morning, Vazquez’s parents were searching for him by car. Later that day, Vazquez and another teenager fatally shot three people at a mosque in San Diego before dying by suicide.
The lawsuit does not make clear whether Vazquez had permission to leave the night before the attack or whether his departure violated facility rules. Park Mental Health provides multiple levels of care, with some programs advertising around-the-clock monitoring and others offering less intensive counseling services.
The treatment center did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment Saturday afternoon. However, in an earlier statement provided to KPBS, Park Mental Health denied the allegations raised 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 said. “Only he and his coconspirator bear responsibility for their conduct and, ultimately, his death.”
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.
