Teen’s key role in deadly San Diego mosque shooting leads to murder charges in North Carolina, officials say. Here’s why

(CNN) — A teen in North Carolina who prosecutors say played a key role in the deadly San Diego mosque shooting — by livestreaming the attack and disseminating the shooters’ writings — is facing murder charges in her home state. Under North Carolina’s aiding-and-abetting laws, which can hold someone criminally responsible for a crime even if they did not personally carry out the acts, 17-year-old Sarah Santiago faces three counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Prosecutors say Santiago can be held responsible for the three killings because she assisted the shooters in carrying out the attack from behind the scenes, despite not being at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the site of the attacks. “The law in North Carolina is clear: A person may be guilty of a crime, although he or she personally does not do any of the acts necessary to constitute the crime,” Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill said in August. A Sonnenrad is viewed as a neo-Nazi and white supremacist hate symbol.

Missing media or need the complete publisher report? Open ABC17NEWS

Scoop News DeskSan Diego, California · Published Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 4:26 PM UTCUpdated Sunday, September 20, 2026 at 3:01 PM UTC

Scoop News reporting summary

The text below was supplied by the Scoop Newsroom app. Third-party reporting is attributed in the source panel.

Authorities say on May 18, Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, opened fire on San Diego’s largest mosque, killing beloved community members Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad — hailed as heroes for their actions thwarting further killings — before the gunmen died by suicide, according to law enforcement. As Santiago’s case proceeds, officials in both states say they intend to continue pursuing potential avenues of accountability for those involved in the attack. “We are keeping the families of these heroes up to date as to what is happening on all fronts,” Stephan said. “The San Diego District Attorney’s Office will not stop investigating this matter until all those who can be held liable for their actions are.” The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., Teen’s key role in deadly San Diego mosque shooting leads to murder charges in North Carolina, officials say.