A frantic two hours as police struggled to assess threat before San Diego gunmen opened fire

A series of calls from the mother of 17-year-old Cain Lee Clark preceded a deadly attack at the San Diego Islamic Center. She first contacted police at 9:42 a.m., about two hours before reports of an active shooter. Police did not arrive at her home until 11:10 a.m. During the intervening period, she called again at least twice, expressing increasing concern. The first call was reportedly classified as a “runaway juvenile” and a “Priority 2.” Police later elevated the incident after receiving more details. City data showed average response time for “Priority 2” calls exceeded two hours as recently as March, amid staffing shortages tied to budget talks. A terrorism liaison officer was brought in at 10:54 a.m., prompting efforts to locate Clark.

"The mother of 17-year-old Cain Lee Clark first called police at 9:42 a.m., about two hours before the first reports of an active shooter at the center. Police did not arrive at her home to speak to her until 11:10 a.m., according to sources with access to call logs. In between that time, the mother had called at least two more times, with greater levels of concern, the sources said. Those calls were enough for police to elevate the incident, more than an hour after the initial call."

"It's unclear exactly what the mother told police during the first call, but police officials have said it came in as a "runaway juvenile," and was classified as a "Priority 2," one of the two law enforcement sources said. Multiple law enforcement officials said the waiting time between the mother's first call and when an officer was dispatched was on par with similarly classified calls. According to data recently released by the city in a public records request, the average response time for the department for a "Priority 2" was more than two hours as recently as March."

"The San Diego Police Department had been dealing with staffing shortages, which emerged as an issue earlier this month amid budget talks. The mother provided more details about her son in the subsequent calls, the sources said, and that prompted police to elevate the case to a "Priority 1" call. A terrorism liaison officer was brought into the case at 10:54 a.m., the sources said, sparking a scramble to find Clark."

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