HOUSTON – A California teenager is speaking out after his image was falsely circulated across social media as one of the perpetrators in Monday’s shooting at a San Diego mosque that left five people dead, including both gunmen.
In the hours following the attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego, authorities identified the suspected shooters as Caleb Vazquez, 18, and Cain Clark, 17.
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Livestreamed footage from the attack captured Clark fatally shooting Vazquez before turning the gun on himself.
As news of the shooting spread online, photos believed to show the suspects quickly circulated across social media platforms. One of those images incorrectly identified Jakub Vazquez, a San Diego student, as Caleb Vazquez.
Jakub is now speaking out to clear his name.
“First and foremost, my heart goes out to all the victims, loved ones and family members who were affected in yesterday’s shooting,” Jakub said at the start of a video posted online.
Jakub explained that he attended the same school as Clark and that the two were on the same wrestling team two years ago.
He believes he was misidentified because of that connection and because he shares the same last name as Caleb Vazquez.
However, Jakub said he had never met Caleb Vazquez and had no involvement in the attack.
“I am being falsely recognized as Caleb Vazquez, however, I have no idea who he is ... or what school he even attended,” Jakub said. “I am not involved in this matter — in what they were planning — in any way, shape or form.”
He described Clark as “just a teammate,” adding that they had not stayed in touch since their time on the wrestling team.
Jakub said the viral misinformation has left him fearful.
“I am personally scared, because this misinformation is being spread rapidly,” he said. “I’ve seen the comments — it’s scary.”
His image was reportedly shared in multiple posts by online news aggregators and social media users as people rushed to identify the suspects following the shooting.
It remains unclear whether any accredited news organizations published the image before the mistake was discovered.
In one example, a Los Angeles-based X account with more than 64,000 followers called “SafetySwipe” shared Jakub’s image in two separate posts while debating over the races and political affiliations of the suspects.
Correction: The photo on the left for Caleb Velasquez is incorrect/misidentified. New images have since been uncovered by researchers. pic.twitter.com/BUh8LqKqEP
— SafetySwipe (@SafetyNotorious) May 20, 2026
Although the account later posted corrections in the comments, the original posts featuring Jakub’s image remained online as of this writing.
As the investigation progressed, authorities definitively confirmed that Jakub was not involved in the attack. According to a new report from the Associated Press, Clark and Caleb Vazquez met online and did not attend the same school.
Investigators also uncovered writings linked to the shooters containing Nazi symbolism, extremist rhetoric and hate speech directed at Muslims and other groups, offering insight into a possible motive.
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The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.