Parents of mosque shooting suspect sue San Diego mental health facility over son's care

Max Goldwasser
Posted

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Three and a half months after a three people were killed in a mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the parents of one of the suspected shooters have filed a lawsuit against a mental health facility and two of its employees.

The 14-page lawsuit, filed against Park Mental Health Treatment of San Diego in Normal Heights and two staff members, alleges wrongful death, medical malpractice and additional claims.

According to the lawsuit, 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez was admitted to Park Mental Health on April 28 with several diagnoses, including autism, social anxiety and severe depression with psychotic episodes.

The lawsuit says Vazquez was receiving treatment at one of Park Mental Health's locations and living in another a mile away.

On May 14, the lawsuit says the FBI contacted Vazquez's mother about his internet activity on the dark web — involving school shootings and suicide. The following day, the lawsuit says Vazquez's mother "discussed the facts surrounding the FBI contact and its significance" with staff at Park Mental Health.

On the morning of May 18 — the day of the shooting — the lawsuit says a staff member texted Vazquez's mother asking if she had any idea where he could be.

According to the lawsuit, his parents went to the facility and were shown video of Vazquez leaving the property the night before at 8:24 p.m.

"He made a left turn and disappeared from camera view," it says in the lawsuit.

Later that morning, around 11 a.m., the lawsuit says Park Mental Health staff advised Vazquez's parents "they had to wait 24 hrs. to report a missing person."

Within the hour, the mass shooting was carried out. According to police, the shooters also shot and killed themselves.

The lawsuit says the family is seeking financial compensation, but does not specify a dollar amount.

This new information comes one day after a 17-year-old girl in North Carolina was indicted by a grand jury for her alleged role in the tragedy.

Christopher C. Saldaña, the attorney representing Park Mental Health Treatment of San Diego, provided the following statement to ABC 10News:

"We believe that many of the allegations of the complaint are incorrect or counterfactual. We also harbor grave concerns regarding the legal tenability of the claims made against Park and its employees. This lawsuit lacks factual, legal, and moral support and should never have been filed.

At the end of the day, Mr. Vazquez was involved in an infamous crime at the conclusion of which he was killed by his criminal partner. Neither Park nor any of its employees had the ability or the power to stop these heinous acts and as members of this community, we continue to mourn Mr. Vazquez’s victims.

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. Only he and his co-conspirator bear responsibility for their conduct and, ultimately, his death.”

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