court ordered – Fifteen months before Caleb Liam Vazquez killed three men at the San Diego Islamic Center, Chula Vista police obtained a court order to remove firearms from his father’s home after concerns he was idolizing Nazis and mass shooters. Details from court records a
When Caleb Liam Vazquez and Cain Clark pulled up to the San Diego Islamic Center on Monday morning. they came with a plan for mass murder. A security guard—along with two other victims in the parking lot—intervened. alerting people at the center and police as the attack unfolded. helping save lives. Both attackers were later found dead with self-inflicted wounds.
Fifteen months earlier, Chula Vista police had already moved through the courts to try to reduce Vazquez’s access to guns.
In January 2025. Chula Vista police obtained a gun violence emergency protective order against Vazquez’s father. Marco Vazquez. according to San Diego Superior Court records. The order followed concerns about Caleb Vazquez’s mental health and what authorities described as suspicious behavior. tied to writings the teenager had posted online. A police officer wrote in the court paperwork that Caleb Vazquez “was involved in suspicious behavior idolizing Nazis and mass shooters.”.
The order relied on a 2014 California law enacted after Elliot Rodger gunned down six people in Isla Vista, Calif. That law allows police, family and friends to ask a judge for a gun violence restraining order to prevent a person from gaining access to firearms.
Court records show the officer noted that Caleb Vazquez “was placed on a 5150 hold”—a 72-hour involuntary detention used when someone is deemed a danger to themselves or others—and that Marco Vazquez had 12 registered guns. The filing also states that Marco Vazquez refused to “allow officers to confirm if firearms were stored properly.”.
In a court declaration, Marco Vazquez acknowledged that he refused to let officers enter his home when they were there to check on his son. He said the guns were locked in a safe and that his son did not have access.
“I am well aware of the seriousness of the allegations made against my son,” Vazquez wrote. “That is why my wife and I took the initiative to remove all firearms, ammunition and accessories from our home and secure all sharp knives in our home….”
He added that after that day, he transferred his guns—listing 27 for himself and two for his wife—to a federal firearms licensee in National City for storage, and that he told police the same. Despite the transfer, he wrote that he was served with the gun violence restraining order.
Marco Vazquez also wrote in the declaration that he never threatened anyone and never supported “any violent ideology such as Nazism. racism. school shootings. or mass shootings.” He said he and his wife were monitoring their son’s online communications. working with his school. and that Caleb regularly attended therapy.
The New York Times first reported details of the court order on Thursday.
A law enforcement source said the FBI was alerted to Vazquez’s behavior—something the source described as happening regularly in thousands of such incidents nationwide. The FBI did not comment on its knowledge of Vazquez. Chula Vista police did not return calls and messages seeking comment.
After Monday’s attack, an attorney for the Vazquez family said the family is “deeply sorry for the pain and devastation caused” by what their son did, and that Caleb’s actions “do not reflect the values we raised our family with or the beliefs we hold in our hearts.”
In a statement attributed to attorney Colin Rudolph. the family said: “Over the last several days. our family has been trying to process the horrific actions carried out by our son against the Islamic Center San Diego Community.” The statement continued that “nothing we say or do could ever repair the damage his actions have caused. ” and that the family was “completely heartbroken and devastated.”.
The family said. “We condemn these hateful and violent actions entirely.” They added that Caleb’s “ideologies do not align with our morals or principles as a family.” They said the family came from a diverse background that includes immigrants and Muslims. and that they taught “acceptance. compassion. and love for one another.”.
A Times investigation found both shooters were radicalized by white nationalists’ online presence and by meeting in an extremist online community. The attackers left behind a 75-page document that promoted hate and antisemitism and urged violence and chaos. law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation said. The Times reviewed the writings, which it said espoused hate toward Muslims, Jews, Black people, Latinos and the LGBTQ+ community.
The Times also said it identified social media accounts believed to have been used by one of the shooters—accounts that the outlet reported as tied to idolization of school shootings. the white nationalism movement and neo-Nazi terrorism. and filled with memes from the online far-right extremist community. In the writings reviewed by the Times. Vazquez advocated for the destruction of the political system and “all-out race war for the purpose of societal collapse.”.
Caleb Vazquez previously attended High Tech High School, a Chula Vista Charter School. The school acknowledged to parents this week in a letter. The school did not return messages for comment.
In their statement. the parents revealed their son “was on the autism spectrum. ” and said. “it is painfully clear to us now that he struggled not only with accepting parts of his own identity but also grew to resent them.” They said they believe that. combined with exposure to hateful rhetoric. extremist content. and propaganda spread across parts of the internet and social media. contributed to his descent into radicalized ideologies and violent beliefs. They said there is “no excuse for his actions. ” and that they came to recognize how dangerous online spaces can be when they normalize hatred.
The family said Caleb “voluntarily spent time in multiple rehabilitation centers,” but that it was ultimately “not enough.” They ended with: “We will forever live with the burden of wondering whether there was more we could have done to help prevent this senseless tragedy.”
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